Global Forum recognises growing women power, honours Women Entrepreneurs in ICT

A number of international organisations have launched initiatives to support women’s startups in the ICT domain. For instance, the Vodafone Foundation in association with the Digital Empowerment Foundation in India introduced the Women & Innovation for Mobile (WIN) Award. infoDev has launched the Women Innovators Network in the Caribbean (WINC).

At the Global Forum on Innovation and Entrepreneurship held recently in South Africa, a one-day track on women entrepreneurship was held, recognising and building on the work of two dozen women entrepreneurs from around the world in sectors such as ICT, energy, agriculture, retail and education. Here are profiles of the featured ICT companies and their women founders below (mostly from Africa).

1. Alison Jacobson, CEO, Firestring (South Africa)

Firestring is a member of the Britehouse group of companies, a specialist in delivering SAP, Microsoft, mobile and social business solutions. Firestring uses social architecture to improve organisational knowledge management. Founder Alison Jacobson has worked for the UN and with consulting firms in the US and Africa.

2. Anne Githuku-Shongwe, CEO, Afroes (Nigeria / South Africa)

Afroes develops interactive digital media solutions rooted in Africa’s rich heritage and designed to mould Africa’s young citizens. This includes mobile phone games and an SMS reporting platform that will form the interactive component of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund ‘Champion for Children campaign.’ Founder Anne Githuku-Shongwe is also Schwab Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2013.

3. Binta Coudy De, VP, Jjiguene Tech Hub (Senegal)

Binta Coudy De is a computer science engineer from Senegal who is positioning the Jjuguene Tech Hub as a platform to increase the profile of girls studying science as well as women in technology in Senegal. Her team is a member of the Global Youth for Innovation (GYIN) programme.

4. Heather Cochran, Cofounder, SliceBiz (Ghana)

Heather Cochran began her professional career at in California as a social worker, and then developed an interest in the startup ecosystem in Ghana. Her team won Startup Weekend Accra and then created SliceBiz. The goal of the crowdfunding site is raise funds for startups in West Africa.

5. Iris Mwanza, Co-founder, Mobile Payment Systems (Zambia)

Mobile Payment Systems (MPS) is a mobile payment solutions startup focused on the southern Africa market. The target is SMEs and NGOs. Her project recently won the African Diaspora Marketplace Grant. Iris Mwanza has doctorate degrees in international relations from the US and Ghana.

6. Jolene Sim, Co-founder, Centsless (Malaysia)

Centsless is an online rewards system that powers the education and consumer products segments. It allows education providers to gamify their classrooms and make learning more fun. Jolene Sum started her entrepreneurial journey when she was in university, and now has partnerships which reach over 8,000 schools in Malaysia and Singapore.

7. Kenia Mattis, Co-founder, ListenMi (Caribbean)

Kenia Mattis co-founded ListenMi to build a new online distribution model that connects Caribbean artists to consumers and businesses. She began as a marketing consultant and blended her career with her passion for music; Mattis is also a songwriter and composer.

8. Perihan Abou-Zeid, CEO, Qabila Media Productions (Egypt)

Perihan Abou-Zeid founded Qabila Media Productions to crowdsource digital media in Arabic so as to better serve media consumers. The venture was founded just after the revolution in Egypt, and has 150 productions in 7 countries under its belt. She previously worked with Google, and also founded an online supermarket.

9. Somto Fab-Ukozor, Founder, Mobile Skills to Cash (Nigeria)

Somto Fab-Ukozor is an electronics engineering graduate from the Federal University of Technology Owerri in Nigeria. Her enthusiasm in ICTs and youth led her to develop the project called MS2C (Mobile Skills to Cash), which uses mobile technology to connect young people to job opportunities.

10. Stella Njoki Mariuki, Co-founder, Zege Technologies (Kenya)

Zege Technologies is a software development firm that focuses on building financial solutions in Kenya. Its MPayer service enables businesses to manage their payment transactions using both mobile money (Airtel Money and mPesa) and cash. Stella Njoki began her entrepreneurial journey at the age of 12, and launched her company at DEMO Africa in 2012.

11. Thuy Truong, CEO, Greengar (Vietnam)

Greengar is a mobile education services startup with team members in Ho Chi Minh City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. CEO Thuy Truong helped develop fun, simple and useful mobile ‘smartboard’ apps to improve the learning experience for students in classrooms, such as Collaborative Drawing, Brain Tuner and Whiteboard. Truong was raised in Vietnam, went to the US for grad school and then returned to Vietnam; her other startups are in the frozen yogurt business.

12. Tiffany Simpson, Founder, Belizean Artwork Publisher (Belize)

Belizean business woman Tiffany Simpson was inspired to work with technology and interactive media when she discovered her son was autistic. Her firm Belizean Artwork Publisher provides mobile app development services, game platforms and audio production services for musicians and artistes in Belize.

13. Toni Maraviglia, CEO, Eneza Education (Kenya)

Toni Maraviglia co-founded Eneza (formerly mPrep) to use mobile technologies and make education easier for children. It helps them learn, review, compete and collaborate through mobile apps and SMS. She began her career with Teach for America and then moved to Kenya. Her service now reaches 12,000 users.

14. Vanessa Clark, Co-founder, Mobiflock (South Africa)

Vanessa Clark founded Mobiflock mobile apps to give parents the ability to keep their children safe when using smartphones and tablets. She began her career as a journalist, and then headed marketing at mobile messaging provider Clickatell in Cape Town, which has a buzzing startup scene.

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