Hirut Salem

Ethiopian entrepreneur who founded Africa's largest women-led startup incubator

Hirut Salem is a visionary entrepreneur from Ethiopia who has made significant contributions to empowering women through technology and entrepreneurship. Born in Addis Ababa in 1985, she grew up witnessing the challenges faced by women in accessing economic opportunities. This inspired her to create platforms that bridge the gender gap in tech and business.

In 2012, Salem co-founded Awake Africa, a social enterprise that provides training and mentorship to young entrepreneurs. The organization has since evolved into Women in Startups Africa, which became the continent's largest women-focused startup incubator by 2018. Through this initiative, she has supported over 500 female founders across 15 African countries, helping them secure funding and launch scalable businesses.

Her most impactful project is the Female Founders Network, a digital platform connecting African women entrepreneurs with global investors and mentors. This platform has facilitated over $20 million in investments for women-led startups since its launch in 2016.

Salem's work extends to policy advocacy. She co-authored the Gender Digital Inclusion Report, a landmark study commissioned by the African Union that influenced national policies in 12 countries. Her TED Talk "Why Africa's Tech Revolution Needs More Women" has been viewed over 2 million times, making her a global voice for gender equality in tech.

Her innovative approach combines grassroots mentorship with high-level policy engagement, creating systemic change while supporting individual entrepreneurs. This dual strategy has positioned her as a leader in both the tech and gender equality sectors. In 2020, she was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People for her work in fostering female entrepreneurship.

Key projects include the Tech Feminist Hub, a physical workspace in Nairobi housing 30 startups, and the Women in Tech Fellowship, which provides coding and AI training to 1,000 African women annually. Her initiatives have directly created over 5,000 jobs and indirectly impacted 500,000+ lives through improved access to financial services and healthcare tech solutions.

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