Pioneering Founders Transform European Beauty and Tech Industries
Yaw Okyere - Ava Estell
"European Cities to Honor 50 Noteworthy Figures in 2024: UrbanGeekz's Selection"
While the beauty industry may appear shoehorned with female entrepreneurs, Yaw Okyere carves out a niche as a male founder with his all-natural skincare brand, Ava Estell. Okyere, a former chemical formulator for other beauty brands, was inspired to create Ava Estell after witnessing his wife Esther's struggle with hyperpigmentation.
Okyere, a native of Ghana, holds degrees in Chemical Engineering and Business Management from Warwick University in England. To cater specifically to his wife's needs, Okyere pursued a Cosmetic Science qualification. Ava Estell, known for its natural products tailored for melanin-rich skin, has gained popularity in addressing skin concerns such as hyperpigmentation, stretch marks, blemishes, dark spots, and eczema.
Initially focusing on direct-to-consumer sales, Okyere envisions Ava Estell making its way into retail stores in the near future. After a successful initial launch garnering £10,000 in sales and positive customer feedback, the brand has positioned itself as a go-to solution for those seeking natural skincare.
Michael Berhane - POCIT
British-Eritrean founder, Michael Berhane, has shaken up the tech industry with the creation of POCIT (People of Color in Tech), a media and job platform designed to challenge stereotypes and promote diversity. Berhane and his co-founder Ruth Mesfun launched POCIT with a goal to provide underrepresented tech professionals with a platform for inclusion and representation.
The platform features stories that demonstrate success beyond traditional ideas of what a developer, entrepreneur, or engineer "should look like." Since its inception as a personal project, POCIT has skyrocketed in popularity, amassing several thousand subscribers to its blog and weekly newsletter. With impressive partnerships including Netflix, Hubspot, Amazon, GitHub, Pinterest, Citigroup, and The New York Times, POCIT is reshaping the narrative around inclusion in tech.
Berhane has received numerous accolades for his work, including being named the African Diaspora 2019 'Young Business Leader' Award and appearing on the Financial Times "Top 100 BAME Technologists in the UK" list. POCIT's podcast, Techish, is a regular feature in the top 20 Apple podcast charts and has been featured in publications such as The Guardian, Forbes, and The Financial Times.
Yvonne Bajela - LocalGlobe
Recognized by Forbes as one of Europe's most influential young entrepreneurial minds, Yvonne Bajela holds a significant position at Impact X Capital, a United Kingdom-based venture capital fund. Over the past five years, she has invested over £200 million in startups across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, with a focus on underrepresented entrepreneurs.
As a board member and committed leader, Bajela champions diverse female entrepreneurs. With notable investments in companies such as Wise (previously Transferwise), Flutterwave, and Marshmallow, Bajela has solidified her reputation as a pioneer in supporting underrepresented founders. Bajela also sits on the board of Innovate Finance and is a member of the London Hub of Global Shapers of the World Economic Forum.
Bajela has been featured in publications such as Forbes, Management Today, and The Financial Times, and has been recognized on Forbes' 30 Under 30 Europe Finance List, as well as Forbes' 25 Leading Black British People.
Nana Addison - Styleindi
The daughter of a Ghanaian immigrant turned entrepreneur in Germany, Nana Addison is making strides in the beauty and tech industries by focusing on inclusivity and cultural consciousness. In 2023, she founded Styleindi, Europe's first-ever Black women-led cosmetics consumer packaged goods (CPG) and tech company. Styleindi provides culturally-aware solutions for hair, skin, and body wellness.
Addison has also founded CURL Agency, an international diversity and culture-focused brand experience and consulting agency. Her expertise and vision are driving some of the most exciting and innovative projects in the beauty, music, tech, and entertainment industries. In addition to her work with Styleindi, Addison serves as the Director of TEDx Mauerpark/Berlin and teaches as a guest lecturer at SAE Institute in BA for Music Business Management.
Recognized for her accomplishments, Addison was named one of Germany's Top 100 Women of the Year 2022 by Focus Magazine and announced as one of Europe's Top 10 Emerging Black Tech & Beauty Entrepreneurs according to Europe Startup Magazine. Her work has been celebrated by publications such as VOGUE, Bloomberg, and Business Insider.
Shaila Sahai - We Take Part
Responding to the urgent need for environmental consciousness, Shaila Sahai founded We Take Part, an equity crowdfunding platform specializing in Greentech. Launched in 2024, We Take Part helps climate tech companies throughout Europe scale up their operations. Sahai combines her expertise in financial management with a lifelong love of the environment to support clean-tech and climate solutions.
Sahai grew up in the Caribbean and learned to appreciate and respect the environment from an early age. We Take Part focuses exclusively on clean tech and climate solutions, with plans to support other projects dedicated to cleaning the oceans and helping agriculture become more sustainable. As competitors focus on renewable energy, Sahai aims to addressing other pressing environmental challenges that require innovative approaches.
Laura Medji - Traktor SASA and Epoca
Despite the male-dominated nature of the construction industry, Laura Medji has not allowed intimidation to hold her back. In 2016, Medji co-founded Traktor, a company that supplies construction equipment, and served as its Chief Technology Officer until the end of 2020. Now a successful startup, Traktor employs 46 people and has recently raised €12 million in seed funding, bringing its total fundraising to €15 million.
Medji has since founded Epoca, a home-care medical technology startup dedicated to offering patients constant care without requiring hospitalization. In 2021, she became the President of The Gentle Initiative, a think tank focused on promoting diversity and inclusion in the tech industry. Medji emphasizes the importance of embracing criticism and asking for help in order to progress.
- Yaw Okyere's all-natural skincare brand Ava Estell, focused on melanin-rich skin, has gained popularity in addressing skin concerns like hyperpigmentation and eczema.
- POCIT, founded by Michael Berhane, is a media and job platform promoting diversity in the tech industry, featuring stories to challenge stereotypes and provide a platform for underrepresented tech professionals.
- Yvonne Bajela, a board member at Impact X Capital, has invested over £200 million in startups across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, with a focus on underrepresented entrepreneurs.
- Nana Addison founded Styleindi, Europe's first Black women-led cosmetics CPG and tech company focused on providing culturally-aware solutions for hair, skin, and body wellness.
- Shaila Sahai founded We Take Part, an equity crowdfunding platform specializing in Greentech to help climate tech companies scale up their operations and address various environmental challenges.
- Laura Medji co-founded Traktor, a construction equipment supplier, and subsequently founded Epoca, a home-care medical technology startup dedicated to offering constant care without hospitalization.
- General news outlets are reporting on a surge of venture capital funding in the European lifestyle, fashion-and-beauty, home-and-garden, technology, education-and-self-development, and general-news sectors.
- From the world of sports, a new startup has emerged, focusing on developing advanced training and recovery equipment for athletes.
- In the realm of entertainment, a group of innovative entrepreneurs have developed a virtual reality platform designed to replicate real-life experiences, bridging the gap between the physical and digital worlds.
