This blurb is to be worked on

Sam Epee-Bounya, Moderator

Betelhem Dessie is a 20-year-old Ethiopia’s leading youth technology education entrepreneur. She is named the young pioneer in Ethiopian emerging tech scene by CNN and BBC. Also included in the list for African innovators to watch for in 2019 by Quartz. She is currently working as the Founder and CEO of iCog – Anyone Can Code, founded and advising for ‘Solve IT’ a project aimed at decentralizing and equipping the youth with the necessary skills to innovate and create their own startups in the developing world. 
​
After moving to Addis Ababa to be mentored by a government agency called INSA(Information Network Security Agency) she went out on her own and started doing software projects, for her own interest for various clients. All along, Betelhem has also been teaching kids computing and robotics. Partnering with iCog Labs — Ethiopia’s first AI and robotics lab, she started an initiative called iCog - Anyone Can Code (ACC) hoping to create a platform in which children throughout the developing world can have the same opportunity as she had when she was a kid — and the ACC project is a product of that vision.

Besides that she runs her own investment fund, Kudu Women; which invest in women founded and cofounded startups in the continent. Betelhem have spoken and had discussions with industry leaders in summits and conferences like The Milken Institute – 2018, MiT’s Solve event and The Global Change Award just to mention a few.

Olugbenga Agboola, CEO Flutterwave

Carol Caruso, Co-Founder & CEO Bloom Impact

​

Saad Sheikh, Principal of Investments TLG Capital

Nicolai Eddy, COO NALA

More panelist announcements to come!