Our ExpertsThe workshops are designed by our international community of experts in: Marketing & Sales, Product Development, Business Development, Operations, Finance. Our content is adapted from an exceptional collaboration between our international experts, mainly in the USA, and our experts in Côte d'Ivoire.
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Our mentorsOur workshops are attended by seasoned professionals with knowledge in various fields of business, entrepreneurship, and technology. With their proven expertise, they assist entrepreneurs in the practical application of the concepts learned to their business.
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Marketing & Sales EXPERTS
Gaetan Philippart
Marketing Expert - Miami, FL, USA Bio
Over the past 15 years, Gaetan has launched new product solutions, developed them in close collaboration with factories and suppliers, led go-to-market strategies across regions, driven sales through multiple channels with 400 sales and 100 dealers, developed new business opportunities in several countries and ultimately successfully closed transactions through consultative sales with customers and end users. A culturally astute and impact-driven leader, he has served markets in Europe, Middle East, Africa, United States and South America and understands how to leverage internal business dynamics, while providing an entrepreneurial mindset to transform opportunities in commercial realities. The following quote sums up Gaeten Philippart's motto well. "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now." - Chinese proverb. |
Diana Olar
Marketing Expert at Google, Europe - Warsaw, Poland Bio
Diana Olar is Head of Regional Platform Partners at Google, based in Warsaw, Poland. She develops and scales strategic partnerships in Central and Eastern Europe for Google and its programs. Her areas of expertise include digital marketing, online marketplaces, digital publishing, and advertising management. She holds a PhD in Sociology and Advertising from the University of Bucharest (Romania) and an MBA from Simon Business School, University of Rochester (USA). |
N'Daya Kasanda
Marketing Expert - New York, USA Bio
N’Daya is an executive in the context of strategy and operations with the experience of leading projects on the themes of transformation and development strategy in the context of consumer products and commerce in the digital space. She is also an advisor to entrepreneurs who want to start or expand their business. She received her BS in Computer Science / Marketing from Providence College and received her MA from Columbia University. |
Product development EXPERTS
Christos Kritikos
Product Expert - New York and California, Bio
USA Start-up Guru and Founder of Emerging Humanity, Christos Kritikos, is a product- focused consultant and coach who helps start-ups turn their vision, idea into reality! He can connect the dots between the market, design, engineering, while being able to support the founders throughout the process of refining the value proposition, entering the market, lifting funds, and starting a successful business. With over 25 years of professional experience, Kritikos has consulted dozens and mentored a multitude of business founders in Silicon Valley; to help them overcome the initial growth difficulties of start-ups. Benefiting from a successful and eclectic career path, Kritikos firmly believes that technology can help us create a better future for all and being a catalyst for innovation is part of realizing this vision. |
Evan Rosenberg
Product Expert - San Francisco | Silicon Valley, CA, USA Bio
Product management | Strategy | Innovation | Technology Evan has worked in Product Management for 6 years focusing on helping organizations create products / technologies that enable business growth and transformation. He has worked in many industries including high tech, internet services, consumer products, retail, healthcare, education, and online marketplaces. These areas of expertise include product strategy, product development, validation of product-market fit, digital activation, human-centred design, innovation, experimentation and prototyping, customer insight, maximizing business value, market positioning and emerging technologies. |
Atman Nouiouat
Product Expert, Software - San Francisco, CA, USA Bio
Atman Nouiouat is CEO of Engoders, Inc. in San Francisco, California, United States. It focuses on creating innovative educational materials that help humans move from imagination to ideation to implementation. He worked as a professor of programming and computer science for many years, at the University of Algiers (Algeria), at the State University of San Jose (United States) and at the University of California at Santa Cruz (United States). In 2014, he started his own coding company, Engoders, Inc. with the goal of returning to the corporate world. Atman's areas of expertise include software development, computer programming, and program management. |
Business Strategy and Operations EXPERTS
Mark Karam
Business Development Expert at Amazon - Silicon Valley, CA, USA Bio
Mark Karam is a seasoned leader in business development and product innovation, a growth engine for consumer technology companies and a leader in global initiatives with partnerships in the high tech, internet, media sectors, digital (cinema / music / games), mobile and consumer electronics. Karam brings expertise that has enabled him to represent Dolby Laboratories, Butterfly Inc (acquired by Ooma inc) and Amazon Music, where he has also served as Director of Business Development, Advisor to the Board of Directors and Global Business Development. In addition, it is worth mentioning that Mark Karam also has volunteer experience that he has helped start-ups through Google and Blackbox Information Technology & Services. |
Chhanda Das
Operations and Human Resources Expert - Ontario, Canada Bio
International business strategy Change management, communication, and training the leadership and development organisation. She brings a global perspective and a creative approach to delivering cutting-edge solutions through technology that achieves business goals, increases internal capacity and efficiency in the field. She consults with clients on DO, growth and change initiatives, operations, and go-to-market strategies. During her twelve years of consulting, she has enabled transformational journeys to enrich the customer experience while effectively orienting business objectives towards revenue generation. |
Paul Kallmes
Operations Expert, Entrepreneurship - Silicon Valley, San Francisco, CA, USA Bio
Co-founder, WhiteSpace X, Africa House | Managing Director, Silicon Valley Business School Independent technology professional with a focus on foreign start-ups coming to the United States, with a specialty in strategic management of intellectual property. His nearly 20 years of licensing and managing intellectual property and technology have given me a broad foundation in the nuances and complexity of developing and deploying intangibles for the benefit of owners and users of intellectual property. He has extensive experience in various areas of intellectual property management and manufacturing. He has extensive international experience working with companies in the United States, Europe and Asia on patent portfolio development, market entry strategies. |
Finance EXPERTS
Chidi Okpala
Finance Expert - United Arab Emirates & Kenya Bio
Passionate about digital financial services, mentor, angel investor and passionate about Africa and financial inclusion He is the CEO of Asante Financial Services Group (formerly Atlas Mara Digital Inc.), a leading provider of digital financial services to Africans and African small businesses. Strong business development professional qualified in business planning, business transformation, management, and retail financial services. Creation and management of companies in more than 25 African countries. Previously, he was Managing Director of the Fintech and Digital Group at Atlas Mara, where he led the digital financial services agenda. Prior to Atlas Mara, he was CEO of Airtel Money Africa where he developed the Mobile Money business to become one of the largest retail financial service providers in Africa. Previously, he was the Group Executive in charge of retail banking for UBA in 19 markets in Africa. |
Kobenan Dassie
Finance Expert - Washington DC Bio
Ivorian expert based in the United States, Kobenan Dassie, investment banking analyst, has gathered a set of essential information from renowned investment banks as well as international organizations. Dassie's professional background includes affiliations with companies like JP Morgan Chase & Co under which he has operated in the investment banking industry spanning US oil companies. After successfully starting his profession at one of the oldest financial institutions in the United States, Dassie would eventually bring his expertise to the global front by joining the International Financial Corporation, a sister organization of the World Bank Group, on which he covered the extraction, |
Aymar Yoboue
Finance Expert - New York, USA Bio
Founder and CEO of RFPLinked Aymar Yoboue is the CEO and founder of RFPLinked, a proprietary platform for networking, information sharing and business research, dedicated to public procurement players. Aymar is a financial analyst and consultant who has worked with several companies in New York City, where he resides. He studied at Harvard University, Howard University and Paris Dauphine University. |
LOCAL Experts
Donald Djobo
Business Management Expert, Entrepreneur Bio
Managing Director, AFRICA at myGO Worldwide. Donald has successfully created several companies in Africa and is currently CEO of ISAGI AVIATION, an industrial aircraft maintenance company. He is also president of RHEMA CONSULTS INT'L, a tourism company aimed at providing solutions to promote electronic tourism in Africa and current Managing Director -Co founder of myGO AFRICA, a subsidiary of myGO GROUP. Donald worked as a senior consultant at a Kenyan consultancy company RECAL LTD. KENYA, where he served brilliantly as Director of Business Development for East Africa and as Associate Director for REGAL West Africa. |
Antonello Di Giulio
Commercial Development Expert, Business Management Bio
Responsible Strategy, Performance and Planning Coca-Cola Based in Côte d'Ivoire, Antonello Di Giulio is a strategist, innovator, and business developer with over 12 years of international experience working in Europe and sub-Saharan Africa for multinational companies, NGOs, institutional donors and of SMEs. With a strong entrepreneurial dynamic and expertise in strategy, planning, financial modelling, partnership development and change management, Antonello Di Giulio's extensive professional experience has seen him work in several sectors including consumer goods, agriculture, financial services, information, and communication technologies for development, as well as hospitality and the media. |
Diane Adou
Operations Expert - San Francisco, CA, USA Bio
Diane Adou is a business professional with more than ten years of experience in the many facets of the field. Her areas of expertise include sales and operations planning (S&OP), procurement, logistics, project management, global affairs, operations management, process, and procedure development. Originally from Côte d'Ivoire, she graduated in engineering, human resources management and global business development from the Institute National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny (Côte d'Ivoire) and the University of California at Berkeley (United States). She is based in San Francisco, California, United States. |
Marcel N ' G osso
Finance Expert Bio
Managing Director, Aewake Expert Development of Applications, Entrepreneur FinTech Fintech and digital transformation expert, Marcel Ngosso, has a wealth of experience in the fields of banking, finance and optimizing business performance. Mr. Ngosso is also the founder and current CEO of Aewake Holdings Limited, where he helps companies transition their operations to the digital front. Prior to founding Aewake, Marcel Ngosso held the position of Corporate Finance Director for Standard Chartered Bank in the district of Abidjan and held leading responsibilities in trade for the British Embassy in Côte d'Ivoire as well as the UK Department for International Trade (formerly UKTI). |
Kanigui Yeo
Marketing expert Bio
Managing Director, Yara International Ivorian expert Kanigui Yeo is the current Managing Director of Yara International in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. With 14 years of professional experience, Yeo has built a proven ability in sales and marketing to supply FMCG, petroleum and agricultural products through Unilever, Shell and Yara International, respectively. Beyond his sales and marketing background, Yeo provides an insight to work in various African environments that mutually encapsulate French and English-speaking perspectives. |
mentors
Virginie roux, France
Mentor - Market Research, Strategy and Operations Bio
Between taker| Data protection & project management expert | Mentor Start-ups Founder of Virginie Roux consulting, a consulting firm in strategy, product development, communication, operational marketing, events, management, national and export marketing, quality and CSR approach, fundraising, networking. Virginie Management and communication consultant, she is also a coach and mentor:
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Aram Attar, France
Mentor - Finance and Investment Bio
VC researcher and teacher | Founder E-Learning | Professional investor Aram Attar has more than 15 years in various fields of finance and private equity. Around thirty LBO, development capital, venture capital and M&A transactions carried out. Board member or Board advisor of around fifteen companies. He has polymorphic experience in terms of type of intervention (investor, consultant, Board member), companies supported (start-ups, SMEs, ETI), amounts committed (1M € to 1B €) and geography (Europe, Americas, Japan). Aram Attar has assisted many founders of start-ups in formulating their strategy, in articulating a coherent pitch and in presenting it to investors. Professor at HEC Paris (Master of International Finance) on the topic: Entrepreneurial Finance & Venture Capital, Amar Attar is a graduate of HEC Paris (2001). |
Axelle Kadio-Morokro, Côte d'Ivoire
Mentor - Market Research Bio
E market study | Analytics | Data visualization | Content management She is a strategic and analytical thinker with nearly 10 years of experience in analytics, corporate and agency market research. As a business intelligence professional, she led all business intelligence strategies and operations for 8 years for one of the leading telecommunications companies in Africa. She is also a specialist in brand and market performance. |
Valentine worms, France
Mentor - Marketing, Operations and HR, Investment Bio
Explorer of positive impact innovations at Impact 13 | Tech for Good & Social Innovations in France He is fascinated by how technology and innovation more broadly are reshaping entire sectors and tackling some of the most pressing issues facing our economies, such as adapting education to the challenges of the 21st century. century, the sustainability of agricultural and food systems, the adaptation of services to the aging of the population. Deep interest also in innovation in Africa. Currently, through Impact 13, Valentine is exploring and promoting innovations (Tech for Good & Social Innovations) that solve some of the biggest challenges facing French society while touring the 13 French regions. |
Jimmy Ku
Specialties - Strategy, Business Development/Growth, Product Development Bio
Jimmy has over 17 years of experience in consulting, start-ups, investments, and founded or co-founded five start-ups during this time. He has served as a Venture Scout for 10X Capital and Grishin Robotics and helped raise over $340 million in venture capital funding over the last three years. He is driven to create value everywhere and this informs his work in guiding startups as they scale up and expand into global markets. Jimmy’s strengths lie in the technology, start-up, and innovation sectors, and has been instrumental in the development of new technology products and services that satisfy both customer and investor needs. Jimmy Ku is currently the Head of US Growth at Flutterwave. |
Melei Anikpo
Specialties - Finance, Accounting Bio
Melei Anikpo is a CFA-certified financial analyst and has years of multidisciplinary experience in finance including servicing multiple multi-billion dollar portfolios. She has worked on a number of projects focused on the financial landscape of emerging markets in Africa with an in-depth understanding of the financials related to investment and company accounting. She has experience working & sitting on boards for a number of major banks & financial institutions, including Wells Fargo, UNEP Finance Initiative, and Shelter Afrique. |
Geraldine Mupandanyama
Specialties - Marketing, Sales, Business Development, Strategy Bio
Geraldine has more than 20 years work experience across 7 industries, ranging from early stage to early growth startups, mature businesses as well as corporates. She focuses on helping startups scale up and find their market fit. She has experience in sales, customer services, marketing, business development, research, operations management, strategy and her passion lies in building African economies in environmentally and socially conscious entrepreneurship so that all Africans can be self-dependent. Geraldine is currently Strategic Partnerships Manager at LabEight Africa and Business Development Manager at ForestNation. |
Yusuf Bashir
Cofounder Africa Blockchain Lab, Former CEO, Coder4Africa (acquired by Geneya) Bio
Yusuf Bashir is a career technologist with in-depth experience and proven expertise in engineering and product development. Yusuf built one of the first smart city and building automation networks in the world during his two-decade stay in the USA and subsequently was recruited back to Nigeria to build a technology industry incubator in collaboration with the Kaduna state government. He has built private sector and public sector technology solutions bringing monumental change to millions of people across Africa and throughout the world. |
Hope Ditlhakanyane
Head of Venture Sourcing, Founders Factory Africa Bio
Hope leads Founders Factory Africa’s ecosystem engagement efforts to attract and convert startups that meet investment criteria. She is passionate about using entrepreneurship as a tool towards solving Africa's toughest challenges and has worked with the largest Pan-African incubator supporting tech startups across the continent. Hope's work has earned her public recognition from Mail & Guardian as a Top 200 South African as well as Yahoo Finance as a Top 100 Woman of the Future. |
Jonathan Kola
Bio
Currently, the Founder & CEO at AMT Technologies - a company that uses machine learning (specifically image techniques and computer vision) to build it's Artificial Intelligence powered driver assistance system that anticipates driver behavior, reduces collisions, and saves lives on the road. |
Virginia Gwengi
Bio
Currently, a Data Scientist at Relias Health U.S. with past experience working as a data scientist at the U.S. Census Bureau, IBM & Biostat Solutions, Inc. 8 years of experience in professional data manipulation and visualization, applying ML algorithms in different components of the healthcare space and using web crawling and scraping to increase data collection efficiency. |
Our selection of mentors is made up exclusively of world-class talent. Our mentors benefit from membership in an unparalleled community, an international network with unique opportunities for discussion and development. Find out more about our mentorship opportunities : ADEI ENGAGE.