the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
Anna Raimondo, founder of Smith Jewellery (South Africa)
LoA had the opportunity to meet and chat with Anna Raimondo, the creative Founder of Smith Jewellery this month, on a very hot and blustery day on the rooftop of the Sanlam Handmade Contemporary Fair in Johannesburg.
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Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, founder of soleRebels (Ethiopia)
Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu is a tireless foot soldier taking Ethiopian entrepreneurship to the world. She is building a $20-million shoe factory in Addis Ababa and is also soon launching a coffee brand.
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Chinwe Ohajuruka, founder Comprehensive Design Services, Nigeria
Paris, 15 October 2015 - This year's Cartier Women's Initiative Awards have just been announced and the sub-Saharan Laureate for 2015 is the inspirational Chinwe Ohajuruka, the founder of Comprehensive Design Services, Nigeria. Chinwe received her well-deserved award at a prestigious ceremony in the glamorous French capital.
Read moreDame Stephanie Shirley is the most successful tech entrepreneur you never heard of. In the 1960s, she founded a pioneering all-woman software company in the UK, which was ultimately valued at $3 billion, making millionaires of 70 of her team members. In this frank and often hilarious talk, she explains why she went by “Steve,” how she upended the expectations of the time, and shares some sure-fire ways to identify ambitious women.…
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Good entrepreneurs begin by listening, hearing something that is growing or that needs a solution... You need to hear the bell first. Many people think that entrepreneurship starts with creativity, with dreaming up an idea. But it doesn't. Creativity comes after you hear the bell, in responding to that call. First the work of the ear, then the hands....
Read moreElizabeth Holmes speaks to emerging women leaders in STEM from 21 countries in Africa, Central Asia & the Middle East. These 100 women pledged to be #ironsisters: women helping 100 other women so as to impact 10,000.
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Stacey Davidson, director at Redisa (South Africa)
- Stacey Davidson is the director at Redisa, the Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa. Stacey joined REDISA in 2010 as a director, after working in various industries including finance. Her interest in the economic empowerment of previously disadvantaged communities resulted in her volunteering for community-based organisations such as NICRO, CAFDA, and Triple Trust Organisation. It was Stacey's passion for community development which prompted her to join REDISA.
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Chantal Du Chenne, founder of mHealthCo, South Africa
It takes a highly innovative approach combined with a passion for making a difference, to find the necessary and urgent solutions to providing high quality, private primary healthcare to millions of employed medically uninsured South African. Entrepreneur Chantal Du Chenne has the solution and her new company, mHealthCo, is about to make huge waves in this space.
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South Africa's women entrepreneurs are invited to apply for a new accelerator grant, launched by the National Gazelle programme, an initiative of the Department of Small Business and SEDA (Small Enterprise Development Agency), and which provides both financial and business support.
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Do not play the 'female' card....
- Dr Christel Coetzee is a South African entrepreneur and the founder and technical director of ADVIT Animal Nutrition. Her company is a market leader in a wide range of specialist animal feeds for all sorts of animals, from domestic pets and horses, through to food-producing farm animals such as pigs, poultry, cattle and sheep. Christel holds a Doctorate in Animal Science from the University of Pretoria.
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Masego Mohajane, founder of M-Squared Medical (South Africa)
Following one’s passion is the hallmark of many successful entrepreneurs in Africa, and Masego Mohajane is building her company, M-Squared Medical, on that same foundation. She is passionate about her business and committed to building a brand and company that can really make a difference in the industry and community.
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Laura Nyahuye, founder of UK brand, AdornU
Every woman can do this....
- Laura Nyahuye is the Zimbabwean founder of UK brand, AdornU, a design company that is challenging convention and creating sculptural adornments for the body that speak volumes for the individuality and confidence of the wearer. After studying Applied Arts at Coventry University in the UK, Laura followed her passion and started her business producing pieces that are all handcrafted and totally unique, celebratory pieces.
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In the latest in a series of informative guest blogs that look at issues around financial management issues for women entrepreneurs, this week we get a better understanding of Incoterms why they matter to Lionesses, particularly for those businesses that import and export.
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Ommo Clark, founder of iBez, Nigeria
Do something you're passionate about....
- Ommo Clark is a Nigerian techpreneur and founder of iBez, a software company that creates proprietary software products that help to solve local challenges. Ommo is a qualified IT Consultant with many years of experience working for a string of well-known investment banks and software companies both in the UK and Nigeria. Ommo is passionate about software services and using ICT to contribute to the socio-economic development of Nigeria.
Read moreThato Kgatlhanye is one of three Sub-Saharan Finalists of the 2015 Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards will be joining 17 other inspirational women entrepreneurs selected from over 1700 applications from more than 100 countries in Paris this month to hear the announcement of this year’s Laureates. The Laureates will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on October 15, 2015 in France. In this video she speaks about her experience as an entrepreneur.
Read moreChinwe Ohajuruka is one of three Sub-Saharan Finalists of the 2015 Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards will be joining 17 other inspirational women entrepreneurs selected from over 1700 applications from more than 100 countries in Paris this month to hear the announcement of this year’s Laureates. The Laureates will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on October 15, 2015 in France. In this video she speaks about her experience as an entrepreneur.
Read moreSuzana Moreira is one of three Sub-Saharan Finalists of the 2015 Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards will be joining 17 other inspirational women entrepreneurs selected from over 1700 applications from more than 100 countries in Paris this month to hear the announcement of this year’s Laureates. The Laureates will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on October 15, 2015 in France. In this video she speaks about her experience as an entrepreneur.
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The Technovation Challenge is a non-profit, global technology entrepreneurship programme for young women aged 10 to 23. Through an intensive 3-month curriculum, teams of woman work together to imagine, design and develop mobile apps and then pitch their “start-up” business to investors. The theme for the challenge is usually to develop an app that helps solve a real problem in our community.
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L-R: Thato Kgatlhanye, Chinwe Ohajuruka and Suzana Moreira
The three Sub-Saharan Finalists of the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards will be joining 17 other inspirational women entrepreneurs selected from over 1700 applications from more than 100 countries in Paris this month to hear the announcement of this year’s Laureates. The Laureates will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on October 15, 2015, at the Annual Global Meeting of the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society, in Deauville, France.
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Keep your eye on the cathedral.... A man stops at a huge construction site and asks one of the workers, 'What are you doing?'. The worker replies 'I'm laying bricks'. Still puzzled, the man asks another worker 'What are you doing?'. This man replies 'I am helping to build a cathedral that will glorify God for centuries'.
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