One Algerian, two Egyptian, and two Tunisian entrepreneurs participated in the recently held third cohort of the eFounders Fellowship in China’s Hangzhou. They were selected from a group of 29 entrepreneurs from 11 African countries.
Held between June 19 and June 29, 2018, the program was an initiative by a collaboration between e-commerce giant Alibaba and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Throughout the two-week long program, the participants were given an insightful overview of the transformative impact brought in by the introduction of e-commerce and technology-driven startups in China. The mentors showed how Alibaba, when it was founded in 1999, went through many of the same obstacles that startups in Africa have to cope with today. The e-commerce giant is currently valued at just under $500 billion and is expected to emerge as the world’s first trillion dollar internet firm.
Jack Ma, the co-founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group, said: “Together with UNCTAD, we want to empower Africa’s young entrepreneurs not to only succeed in their own ventures, but to return home and demonstrate to others how to build inclusive business models for the digital era.”
The startups that made it to the third cohort of eFounders Fellowship include:
Maisonmaligne: An e-commerce startup by Tunisian entrepreneur Taoufil Mousselmal.
Marsy Market: An online platform by Egyptian entrepreneur Han Girgis that helps consumers discover local alternatives to day-to-day products at affordable price.
Tripdizer: An Egypt-based travel marketplace founded by Hatem Ayoub
E-taxi: A Tunisian ride-sharing service by entrepreneur Sadok Ghanouchi
Monresto: A last-mile food logistics service founded by Tunisian entrepreneur Sami Tounsi