The Edutech start-up founded in Ethiopia raised $2 million, in seed funding co-led by Partech and Orange Digital Venture during the first quarter of 2020. The start-up runs a software outsourcing marketplace and offers various Tech training programmes and courses in Kenya, Senegal, and the US. As of this year, Gebeya has graduated 600 Tech talents, with over 200 placements in start-ups across the globe.
The funding round is aimed at training aspiring female software engineers in Francophone Africa. In 2019, Gebeya partnered with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to provide scholarships worth $500 000 to aspiring female software engineers. The initiatives from the start-up reflect the gender imbalance within the African Tech space and the need to level out the playing field for equality within the industry to materialize.
In addition to supporting females in STEM education, the start-up is set to use the funds raised to expand its portfolio to include a Tech talent marketplace. This platform is designed to provide a space for employers and graduates to connect and share ideas on best approaches to tackling the challenges faced within the Tech industry in Africa including working conditions and transparency.
Amadou Daffe, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Gebeya, has made it clear that the end goal for the company “is to become the go-to brand for digital and Tech talents in Africa and most importantly to become an African based $100 million revenue company.”
In 2018, the start-up acquired CODERS4AFRICA (C4A). This is a marketplace for coders present in six countries with a database of over 3 500 African developers. Through the acquisition, Gebeye inherited the platform’s global partners, which catapulted its expansion and presence outside of the Francophone region into other parts of Africa and the world.
The start-ups investment in STEM education and nurturing African youth’s untapped talent, not only prepares them for the global market, but also changes the industry and paves the way for “the fourth industrial revolution” in the continent.
