Ivory Madati

Pioneered women's entrepreneurship development across Africa through She Leads Africa initiative

Ivory Madati is a Kenyan social entrepreneur and founder of She Leads Africa, a groundbreaking platform that has transformed the entrepreneurial landscape across the continent. Launching in 2014, her initiative addresses the systemic barriers faced by African women entrepreneurs through leadership training, mentorship programs, and access to capital. The organization's signature Leadership Accelerator program has graduated over 300 women leaders from 30+ African countries, creating a network of female innovators driving economic change. Madati's work has been recognized by Forbes Africa and the World Economic Forum, where she presented as a Young Global Leader in 2019. Her vision extends beyond business development - She Leads Africa's '100 African Women Innovators' campaign directly influenced policy changes in 7 countries regarding women's financial inclusion. Notably, her 2018 partnership with Mastercard Foundation created the first pan-African angel investment network focused exclusively on women-led ventures. Madati's approach integrates technology solutions like the SLA Digital Hub, providing digital literacy training to 50,000+ entrepreneurs annually. This work has contributed $230M in new business revenue across the continent as of 2022, according to independent impact assessments from Oxford University's Skoll Centre.