Our Speakers
Ali DIALLO
Founder of Aurion Capital
Investor and serial entrepreneur with 10 startups, 3 venture studios, and 2 exits, focusing on sustainable capitalism that combines profit, purpose, and planet.
Venture builder with companies deployed in Africa, UAE, Europe, and the U.S. and that are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.
Founder of Aurion Capital, an American investment holding group building a sustainable future through a portfolio of venture capital funds with over $250 million in assets under management and over 40 companies that have raised over $500M from global investors.
Former White House Presidential Innovation Fellow and U.S. government official.
Founding member of ACE (Alliance for Connected Economies), an investment initiative connecting the U.S. to emerging markets through institutional, public, and private investments.
Founding Managing Partner of NOVA Prime and of NovaWave Capital, two Silicon Valley-based VC funds supported by LG Electronics;
Managing Director at Clearbrook, a NY-based investment firm with $10 billion under management.
Former roles include Director of Investments at LG NOVA and head of global programs at MIT.
Andy GUENTHARD
Business Angel
Investor focused on early-stage companies creating impact through technology in Europe and West Africa.
Former SVP Partnerships for Travel & Leisure at Adyen, with 8 years of experience in financial technology and global partnerships.
Extensive background in the airline industry, including roles as CIO & Head of Distribution at Senegal Airlines and various leadership positions at Amadeus IT Group.
Serial entrepreneur with experience founding and managing travel IT companies, including Travel IT Services and Iconomics S.A.
Versatile professional with over 30 years of experience spanning pricing, distribution, marketing, and technology in the travel and finance sectors.
Coura SENE
Regional director Wave Dakar - Senegal
Regional Director of Wave, where she played a crucial role in driving financial inclusion through innovative mobile payment solutions.
20 years of experience, in the management of IT and organizational projects in France and Senegal, I have been supporting the development of mobile financial services in West Africa
Advocate for technology-driven social impact, focusing on expanding digital financial services to underserved communities.
Current Chairwoman of the Board at Ring Capital, focused on supporting ambitious technology companies that align performance with social and environmental impact.
Former Minister Delegate for Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities in the French government from 2020 to 2022.
Experienced tech executive, having served as Managing Director for Africa at HP and President & General Manager of Lenovo France.
Co-founder of LEIA (Leaders Engagés et Inclusifs en Action), promoting inclusive and responsible leadership in business, politics, and NGOs.
Versatile leader with over 25 years of experience spanning entrepreneurship, sales management, and executive roles in major tech companies like Dell and Orange.
Currently serving as Co-founder and Chairman of Innovera.ai, where he advises corporate executives on creating innovation ecosystems that go beyond traditional business models.
Co-founded ten companies, including four Unicorns that achieved IPOs, with a total market cap exceeding $12 billion.
Former Chairman of Global Catalyst Partners, a global venture capital firm managing $350 million, with investments spanning the U.S., Japan, China, India, Israel, and Singapore.
Co-founder of Schools Online, a nonprofit that connected 6,400 schools in 36 countries to the internet, and the Global Catalyst Foundation, focusing on youth education and women’s empowerment through technology.
Advocate for leveraging technology to bridge cultural divides and promote global understanding.
Marieme DIOP
Founder DNA
Dakar- Sénégal
Currently serving as Africa Head for Venture Capital Direct and Fund Investments at the IFC (World Bank Group).
Co-founded and co-led Orange Ventures Africa, a €50 million early-stage VC fund backed by Orange, dedicated to supporting African startups.
Managed a diverse portfolio of 20+ investments, spanning Seed to Series B, across 10 African countries.
Founder of the “Dakar Network Angels”, the first regional angel network in Francophone Africa, supporting and investing in high-growth Pre-Seed and Seed stage companies in the region.
Moustapha CISSE
Founder & CEO of Kera Health Platforms Inc.
- Currently serving as Founder & CEO of Kera Health Platforms Inc., focused on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being across Africa (SDG3).
- Professor of Machine Learning and Founder/Director of the African Master of Machine Intelligence program at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS).
- Former Research Scientist and Head of Google AI Center in Accra, Ghana, where he led AI initiatives.
- Previously worked as a Research Scientist in Artificial Intelligence at Facebook.
- Pioneering figure in advancing artificial intelligence and machine learning education and research in Africa.
General Partner at Partech, co-leading Partech Africa, a fund dedicated to African startups focusing on Series A & B investments.
Former Google executive, serving as Head of BD for Africa in Google Access and Lead for Francophone Africa over 7.5 years.
Serial entrepreneur with experience founding and managing IT companies, including CommonSys, an IT project management firm.
Passionate advocate for innovation and technology in Africa, with a track record of investing in and supporting high-growth African startups.
Founder of SwiftaCorp, a pioneering African technology solutions provider.
Partner at Alta Global Ventures, focusing on venture capital investments in Africa.
An active angel investor and advocate for technology-driven entrepreneurship across the continent.
Known for his thought leadership on African fintech, technology ecosystems, and digital transformation.
Babacar SECK
Managing Partner ASKYA IP
- Founder & Managing Partner at Askya IP, a Pan African Investment Firm, backing Africa's future Tech Champions.
- Former CEO Digital Africa.
- Former Board Member at Ventures Platform and Disrupt Africa.
- Formerly, he was an investor for Proparco, the French development finance institution, helping build Tech & Financial Services businesses across emerging markets, from Seed to IPO, and beyond.
- Previously at AXA, a €1 trillion insurance firm, he led key areas of the group’s strategy & development, working under the Chairman & CEO. In his spare time, Babacar supports Africa-focused initiatives, with a focus on mentoring, culture and think tanks.
Chidi OKPALA
CEO OF ASANTE FINANCIAL SERVICES
- Chidi is the CEO of Asante Financial Services Group (formerly Atlas Mara Digital Inc.), a leading provider of Digital Financial Services to Africans and African Small Businesses.
- Prior to that, he was the Group MD Fintech and Digital at Atlas Mara, where he led the digital financial services agenda.
- Before Atlas Mara, he was CEO for Airtel Money Africa where he built the Mobile Money business to become one of the largest providers of Retail Financial Services in Africa.
- Earlier, he was the Group Executive in charge of Retail Banking for UBA across 19 markets in Africa.
- He is a graduate of the Sloan MSc program at the London Business School as a Chevening Scholar and was Formerly non-executive director at Moniepoint
Abdou TOURE
THE GREEN FACTORY
Abdou Touré is the initiator of “Quartier vert challenge”.
A young man committed to the cause of the environment, he is involved in reforestation and human agriculture.
He also organizes and runs training and awareness-raising sessions for young people wishing to deepen their knowledge of the environment.
Recently, Abdou Touré has also been developing a micro-gardening concept on his terrace. This is attracting a lot of interest because of its uniqueness.
Your media went on an immersion tour of the site. We met the promoter Abdou Touré, a Senegalese environmentalist. Interview ...
Abdoullah CISSÉ
Systemic coach at Institut Partaliane
An expert in the intelligence of systemic processes, he has cutting-edge expertise in emerging tools from the cognitive sciences applied to coaching, management, leadership and governance.
In parallel with a professional career in law and strategic consulting, Abdoullah Cissé is committed to supporting African managers and leaders in change management, personal and professional development and institutional reform.
He is committed to teaching, research and coaching in the service of human development, as well as facilitating large-scale transformations in society.
Agnes HUANG
PROPARCO
Agnès Huang is a Senior Equity Investment Officer at PROPARCO, the French Development Financial Institution.
Agnès Huang covers mainly Africa and Middle-East and works on Financial Institutions and Venture Capital transactions. Prior to that, she was based in the PROPARCO’s South-East Asia office in Bangkok, where she was in charge of originating new projects in the region.
Before joining PROPARCO, Agnès served as a Transaction Services Analyst at PwC Paris.
Mme Aida MBODJ
DER/FJ
Aïda Mbodj is a Senegalese politician, a Deputy and a Cabinet Minister, as well as Vice-President of the National Assembly of Senegal.
Aida Mbodji is a Senegalese politician. Former mayor of Bambey, his hometown, Aida Mbodji acceded in 2014 to the Chair of Bambey County Council, an institution created with Act 3 of decentralization.
This election has seen a turnaround. The Liberal leader is deposed head of this structure in April 2016 based on accumulated. The former mayor already had an ongoing mandate to the National Assembly.
In his political career, which is nicknamed the "Lioness Baol" has experienced several times the benefits and privileges of being able like the inconvenience of the opposition. Socialist activist with President Abdou Diouf before the alternation of 2000, it ends up being one of the spearheads of the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) in his native Baol.
Thus, in the first government of Macky Sall (April 2004-November 2006), she was appointed Minister of Women, Family and Social Development. Then became the second government of Macky, Minister of Women, Family, Social Development and Women's Entrepreneurship. And, before the fall of the liberal regime, the former mayor of Bambey was brought to head the ministry of food processing of agricultural products (2009-2012).
But since 2012, with the accession to power of the Republicans led by former Prime Minister Macky Sall, AIDA MBODJ and his liberal comrades now embody the opposition. It is in this posture, moreover it is elected deputy to the National Assembly under the colors of the PDS.
Alex ONUKWUE
Reporter SEMAFOR
Nigeria Reporter at Semafor
Former reporter at Tech Cabal
Amani MANSOURI
CEO of DABCHY
Although she was born and raised in Tunisia, Ameni spent 10 years of her life in Paris, where she studied Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Engineering.
Later, she worked for Sanofi Pasteur in France, a big pharmaceutical company. However, despite having a stable income, she never forgot her passion for fashion.
Upon returning to Tunisia, She followed her passion and created the start-up Dabchy, a clothing marketplace that is now used by more than 450 000 women across three countries: Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria.
Dabchy raised $300 000 for its regional expansion to grow its team (15 people today) and to improve its products.
The successful startup was listed in the top 100 among the most promising African and Arab Startups by IFC-International Finance Corporation.
Dabchy is also the first Tunisian and African startup to join the European Fashion Tech Incubator in Paris, Lookforward by ShowRoomPrivé.
This year, the young successful CEO, was featured on Forbes Middle East’s 30 under 30 list.
Aminata NDIAYE
Deputy CEO ORANGE- SONATEL
Aminata NDIAYE NIANG is Deputy Managing Director of the Sonatel Group and Senior VP Regional Cluster at Orange Middle East & Africa.
One of Senegal's leading companies and one of the largest market capitalizations on the BRVM (Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières d'Abidjan), Sonatel operates in Senegal, Mali, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone and Benin under delegated management.
Orange Middle East & Africa covers 18 countries in Africa and the Middle East. Co-opted into a program dedicated to Talents, Aminata joined the Orange Group in Paris in 2004.
A double graduate of « École Polytechnique de Paris » and « École Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications de Paris », Aminata began her career at Accenture in change management.
In late 2018, she led the consolidation of Orange Middle East & Africa's marketing, customer experience and digital transformation activities, becoming Senior VP of Marketing, Digital & Customer Experience coordinating 18 countries representing 135 million customers and over 6 billion in sales.
Anta DIALLO
Principal SAWARI VENTURES
Anta Ndiaye is a Principal at Sawari Ventures based in Dakar. She has been an evangelist, connector, and enabler of African entrepreneurship since 2016.
She took a key role in the launch of the French Tech Cape Town in South Africa, initiated the activities of the French Tech in New York, where she has built solid relationships with the American VC scene, worked in Sales in the Top tier French cybersecurity start-up CybelAngel in NYC and has most recently served as the Manager Africa of Euroquity, a Bpifrance services connecting Tech ecosystems in Europe and in Africa, where she was facilitating co-investment opportunities between African and international VCs.
Chris FOLAYAN
CEO, FOUNDER CENTERED
- CEO and Founder of Centered, an AI platform that acts as a matchmaker platform for founders, connecting them with a vast network of professionals and resources to help them grow rapidly.
- Investor at Accelerate Africa
Founder and CEO of OCFX INC, an Award winning Silicon Valley based App, Software and Web design agency, with clients including Fortune 500 companies.
Grégoire DE PADIRAC
CEO Digital Africa
- Gregoire de Padirac serves as CEO of Digital Africa. Formerly he was Investment Manager at Orange Digital Ventures Africa, based in Dakar (Senegal). ODV Africa is au €50m fund dedicated to early stage investments into start-up focusing on the continent.
- Gregoire started in Venture Capital in 2015 in Paris. His main focus were cybersecurity, iOT, eHealth, entertainment. Prior to joining ODV team, Gregoire spent 5 years managing digital partnerships with entertainment players such as Deezer in musical industry for Orange. Gregoire started his career as strategy consultant in WMI consulting for 2 years.
- Gregoire de Padirac holds a master of science in management from European School of Management (ESCP Europe, Paris) and a Master in Management of City University of London.
Guy FUTI
Co-founder & Ceo ORDA AFRICA
Born in Congo, Futi later moved to Jumia Group, where he held the roles of Special Projects Director and Managing Director.
Guy Futi has worked in the corporate world since 2008, beginning his career as the Founder of MAJI WATER, a beverage venture with a social mission to provide clean drinking water to those in need globally. In 2020, he co-founded ORDA, a food tech SaaS platform with the mission to digitize African restaurants with its cloud-based operating system.
Its core offering is a cloud-based POS system, with the company offering a platform for omnichannel ordering plus a customizable microsite for its restaurant customers. Futi says Orda’s best customer is a small restaurant that hasn’t yet jumped on the SaaS train.
Futi and his team are racing to keep building and improving its product, expanding into new markets, and no doubt soon raising more money.
Hany AL SONBATY
General Partner, SAWARI VENTURES
A Middle East venture capital pioneer, Hany headed TMT Investments at EFG-Hermes Private Equity over a 12 years career.
Prior to co-founding Sawari Ventures, he managed a portfolio of over $500 million, of which $200 million was in the TMT sector, including some of the region's first VC funds.
Hiruy AMANUEL
Founder and CEO GULLIT
Entrepreneur and investor based in Silicon Valley, Hiruy Amanuel is a managing partner with A.J. Ventures, a company he founded in association with Allison Littlefield and another silent partner three years ago.
A regional investment firm focused primarily on mission-driven companies, A.J. Ventures typically places investments ranging from $50,000 to $500,000. The firm invests in seed-stage and existing companies, generally in exchange for equity in the company or a success fee.
Operating initially within the financial and consumer sectors, A.J. Ventures has recently extended its investment activity to the technology market.
Under the leadership of Hiruy Amanuel, A.J. Ventures completed its first investment in Autobahn Gallery, a pre-owned luxury car dealership headquartered in the East Bay. Autobahn Gallery offers luxury car consignment services and competitive financing opportunities for qualified individuals.
Houda GHOZZI
CEO OPEN STARTUP INTL
Dr. Houda Ghozzi holds a Ph.D. in Strategic Management from University Paris Dauphine. She has fifteen years’ experience in academic teaching and research. She held several teaching positions in Tunisia (IHEC Carthage, MSB) and in France (Paris IX Dauphine).
Her research and teaching focus on business strategy and social entrepreneurship in Tunisia emphasizing the importance of fostering entrepreneurial ecosystems, the role of support structures as well as business models and scaling-up strategies for social ventures.
She has coordinated a Master Program specialized in Innovation Management and she is an advisor for several entrepreneurship programs including Enactus, Hult Prize.
Houda is the program director of the Open Start-up Competition Tunisia (OST) that she co-Founder in 2016. OST is a cross discipline entrepreneurial student competition focusing on technology used to solve global problems, developed in partnership with public and private partners including Columbia University (NYC), the Tunisian Ministry of Higher education, The US Embassy, BIAT Foundation and Africinvest (private equity firm).
Three last editions of this program resulted into the training of 220 high potential students, 120 mentors including faculty and practitioners, as well as creation of 14 impact ventures. OST also contributed in strengthening the Tunisian entrepreneurial ecosystem and facilitating students’ employability within the Tunisian start-ups.
Jean Noel ROFFIAEN
CEO YUM YUM
Jean-Noël Roffiaen is a seasoned entrepreneur and co-founder of YUM-YUM, a leading catering and delivery company in Senegal. Since 2012, he has transformed YUM-YUM into a thriving business, particularly renowned for its international-standard home delivery service, with 250,000 deliveries made in the first half of 2024 alone. Under his leadership, the company employs 180 staff and works with 250 delivery team members, demonstrating its ability to manage large teams and respond effectively to the needs of the local market, while creating jobs particularly for young people.
Before embarking on his entrepreneurial career, Jean-Noël acquired solid portfolio management experience at Financière de l'Echiquier, where he managed funds focusing on value and economic recovery, with €300 million under management. This experience enabled him to develop in-depth expertise in investment and financial management, skills that he has successfully transposed to the management of YUM-YUM.
His career has also included significant roles as an analyst and head of equity research at Berenberg, where he managed a team of 7 analysts and generated significant revenues for the company. In addition, his time at Natexis Bleichroeder as a financial analyst specialising in the banking-insurance sector, as well as his journalistic experience at La Tribune, strengthened his understanding of macroeconomic and socio-political issues, particularly in Senegal.● Jean-Noël Roffiaen is a graduate of ESSEC business school and holds a master's degree in law from Nanterre University. His academic and professional background gives him a His strong strategic vision and financial expertise make him a key player in Senegal's entrepreneurial landscape. His leadership and mastery of macroeconomic and socio-political challenges enable him to navigate successfully in a complex environment, while contributing to economic development and job creation in Senegal
Joe KINVI
CEO HoaQ
- Former Growth lead at Stripe
- He is a notable figure in the African tech investment landscape
- He has a strong background in finance, having held significant roles such as Head of Finance at Touchtech Payments, which was acquired by Stripe, as well as positions at Stripe and Paystack.
- His journey began with an education in Accounting and Finance at the Dublin Institute of Technology, followed by a career start at Ernst and Young, one of the world’s big four accounting firms.
- Kinvi’s career path transitioned from accounting to the tech investment space, illustrating a successful shift from traditional finance to entrepreneurship and investment in the tech sector.
- He is the co-founder of HoaQ, an investor community with over 100 investments across Africa and its diaspora. HoaQ is particularly notable for its role in backing entrepreneurs and creating scalable businesses for Africa and its diaspora. The club boasts over 300 members and investors from 14 different countries, focusing on early-stage startups serving Africa and the diaspora.
Founder of Borderless an all in one platform for global communities
Kahi LUMUMBA
CEO TOTEM EXPERIENCE
Kahi Lumumba is the founder and CEO of Totem Experience, an online media group based in France and Benin that promotes African culture across the world.
In this role, he also directs the operations of brainyourbrand.com, a digital agency focused on Totem Experience’s commercial activities that support the communication and branding of a wide range of companies to Africa’s youth population.
Previously, he was a procurement consultant specializing in information technology and telecommunications cost reduction strategies. He has also carried out contract negotiations on behalf of General Electric and GDF Suez. Lumumba holds a master’s degree in management from Kedge Business School.
Khaled ISMAIL
Founder KIAngel
Experienced Board Member with a demonstrated history as a serial entrepreneur, large corp executive, and managing venture capital investments.
Strong business development professional, with in-depth knowledge of the Middle East and African markets.
Kristin WILSON
Partner SPURT GROUP
Kristin is the founder and strategy lead at Spurt! which is a technology advisory firm that provides products and services at the intersection of people operations, data analytics and software to SMEs and startups operating in or serving sub-Saharan Africa.
Kristin specialises in technology strategy, product development, business planning, and operations optimisation within the realm of entrepreneurship and has worked with stakeholders across the public and private sector help organisations harness technology and data to scale their businesses and increase profits.
Lina KACYEM
Investment Manager LAUNCH AFRICA VENTURE
- Investment Manager at Future Africa, Former MD at DNA Senegal and Co-founder of Yale Africa Startup Review
- Lina comes in with 10 years of working experience in the property and casualty insurance industry, in both underwriting and claims.
- She has led small and large operational teams, in various states (CA, NJ and WA). She is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing with a minor in International Business from the Smeal Business College, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a minor in Spanish from the College of Liberal Arts.
- Over the past couple of her years, she has dedicated time to advise start-ups doing work in Africa. She spends time working closely with entrepreneurs, whether it is through Yale OCR, or with female entrepreneurs with startups in Africa. She is currently pursuing her MBA at the School OF Management at Yale University.
Maguette TOURE
SUNU TRIP
Maguette Niang is a 27-year-old Senegalese entrepreneur based in Dakar.After studying marketing and gaining a few years' experience in digital marketing,
she decided to launch Sunu Trip as an entrepreneur.Using her travels to promote Africa as a destination, she creates travel content on various social networks to highlight the continent.
She now has thousands of followers on Linkedin, Instagram and Tiktok, and is inspiring her community to travel even more.
Margaret DEBRAH
Ceo EATO
- Margaret Debrah, ACMA CGMA, is the CEO and Co-Founder of EATO, a cross-platform media company that connects African food, culture, and community to a global audience. With a solid background in investment banking, she has worked at prestigious firms such as JP Morgan, Barclays Investment Bank, and Jefferies.
- Under her leadership, EATO has evolved into a thriving community offering a diverse range of recipes and engaging cooking shows. The next step for EATO is the launch of EATO Premium, an AI-powered subscription marketplace for African food products, personalised recipes, and more.
- Margaret is deeply passionate about the development of Africa and is keen to contribute to creating job opportunities across the continent, as well as empower SME’s to do business globally.
Mehdi ALAOUI
Founder START UP STATION
Serial Tech Entrepreneur, Mehdi ALAOUI believe in the ability of technology and innovation to solve complex issues in Africa, he founded his first company at 21, and his more recent one at 42.
He is today 42. Staying an entrepreneur makes Him understand startups he support, innovation he witness & markets he interact with.
No startups Ecosystems can grow without local Investors ! Today, stating that you believe in African startups became mainstream.
Truly trusting in them requires taking risk investing in young talented teams, mehdi is putting all his experience & network at their service on real smart money approaches. As a Business Angel, he may fail, but this uncertainty means he keep learning as long as he is giving back
Mouhamed THIOMBANE
MAZARS
- 12 experience as an IT Consultant across leading firms including IBM, Verizon, Accenture and Wavestone
- Mouhamed Thiombane is a professional with a diverse background in technology and project management. He holds a degree in Computer Science and has accumulated experience in software development, data analysis, and system architecture.
Throughout his career, Mouhamed has worked with various organizations.
His expertise extends to managing projects from inception to completion, ensuring that they meet both technical specifications and business objectives.
Moustapha NDOYE
CEO CHARGEL
Moustapha Ndoye is a Senegalese tech entrepreneur with a mission to transform the Trucking industry in West Africa. From founding Xtreme Design and Engineering to Teranga Solutions, Moustapha’s entrepreneurial spirit has always thrived on tackling challenges.
Now, with Chargel, he’s tackling inefficiencies in the transport sector, connecting shippers and carriers with seamless digital solutions. Chargel is paving the way for a more efficient, transparent, and cost-effective transport system.
This means faster deliveries, happier businesses, and ultimately, a boost to the entire West African economy! Moustapha’s story is one of African ingenuity and innovation. He’s proving that world-changing solutions can arise right here on our continent!
Munya CHIURA
Head of Growth EMEA, DLOCAL
Head of Growth EMEA at dLocal. With over 25 years of experience in financial services, He has held senior management roles with a number of global cross border institutions including Flutterwave, Flywire, MPOWER Financing, Syniverse, and Ceridian.
Munya is extremely passionate about tech and has also advised the World Bank as an Innovation consultant. He serves as a Strategic Advisor to a number of fintech and tech companies including US fintech Mozrt and UK Tech Equity.
Munya is a Non Executive Director for POSB in Zimbabwe and currently a mentor for the inaugural Visa Africa Accelerator Program targeted at unleashing innovation from Africa fintech startups.
Nabou FALL
Founder NABOU FALL AKADEMY
Nabou Fall was born in Dakar and grew up between Paris and Abidjan. Her primary education was divided between France and Senegal. She attended junior high school in Côte d'Ivoire and returned to France, where she spent all her high school years and obtained her Baccalauréat.
She then entered a school specializing in computer science and obtained a diploma in Computer Engineering. She continued her studies in the field of Finance by enrolling in the Master en Management Spécialité Contrôle de gestion et Finance at ISG Paris.
She also attended the Womens Leadership Forum program at Harvard Business School Executive. A talent speaker, she is in demand as a public speaker on entrepreneurship, women's leadership and personal branding
She is an ICF coach, a Certified Emotional Intelligence and Disc Practitioner and a Certified Personal Branding Strategist.
After a career with MTN Côte d'Ivoire as Marketing Division Manager, she joined MTN Congo as Sales & Marketing Director. She later became Deputy General Manager and General Manager at 2xt Com, Vodacom's distributor in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
After a successful stint with Telco, Nabou Fall founded Vizeo 2,3, a communications and public relations agency, in 2007.
Olivier VULLIERME
KARELLE & OLIVIER
Since 2017, former Jumia employee Olivier Vullierme has been working 100% with his wife.
“La Sénégalaise de l'Automobile, Lactalis via the Président brand, Pullman, Coca-Cola, Moulinex, Nespresso... In recent years, we've worked with more than fifty brands, on a long-term basis or one-off partnerships,” says the 40-year-old Franco-Senegalese, who handles emails, partnerships, follow-ups and rate negotiations with brands - all the while appearing regularly in his wife's Instagram stories, along with their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter.
Papa NDIAYE
Head of Growth LEMFI
Papa Ndiaye is the Head of Growth (U.S.) at the fintech company LemFi, serving diaspora communities globally.
With an academic background in International Development, Social Entrepreneurship, and Food Security in Africa, Papa brings a unique perspective to fintech's role in financial inclusion.
His work focuses on improving remittance processes to promote economic empowerment for underserved populations. He is also a novice small farmer in Senegal.
Precious OYELADE
Founder POV
The founder of POV and has worked with hundreds of early-stage founders across Africa & Europe, to grow and scale. At Google for Startups, she led the Black Founders Fund, equipping founders with the tools to unlock $200m+ in follow-on funding.
A community builder, she led Seedcamp's 400+ European founder community and launched the inaugural Wimbart Office Hours program for African startups.
She leverages her strategic acumen to forge connections across the ecosystem, supporting both angel and institutional investors, corporates, and founders to identify more cross-border growth opportunities, access capital, and explore expansion.
Surayyah AHMED SANI
General Partner ADUNA CAPITAL
- Founder and GP of Aduna Capital, a $20M fund for early-stage tech startups, championing female founders. Northern Nigeria and the rest of Africa.
- Investor at Oxford Seed Fund
- Member, AI for Development Reference Group at UNDP
Gilles le COQGUEN
Euroquity Director
BPI France
Gilles Le COQGUEN is the head of EUROQUITY at Bpifrance, the business-networking service which promote and support investors, SMEs, research laboratories ...
Gilles has created several ICT companies such as Smartline Systems (in the field of cloud computing) and VocalFruits (Transforms XML streams into voice streams).
He was also a senior manager of the dot.com business at Valoris (Sopra Group). Gilles was also the CEO of Servia, a European B2B distribution network with 30 companies based in France, Great Britain, Spain, Poland and Ukraine.
In 2007, he started working at OSEO (one of the four entities of Bpifrance) as a digital services and events manager. When Bpifrance was founded in 2013, Gilles was appointed Director of International Partnerships and Services.
Gilles graduated from ESSCA (France) and the University of Dublin (Ireland). He also holds a DEA in economics from the University of the Pantheon (France).
