On April 12, 2026, fifteen of Africa’s most ambitious young founders gathered in the Gold Room of the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods to sign the Harambeans Declaration and officially join the Alliance.
Selected from a competitive pool, the 19th Class represents six African countries and has already collectively raised more than $18 million. They are building satellites that turn space into computing infrastructure. Developing direct-air-capture technology to remove carbon from the atmosphere. Reimagining healthcare finance, agricultural intelligence and post-harvest storage. Helping African businesses move goods, manage inventory, access capital and collect payments. And building pathways for Africa’s next generation of globally distributed talent.
But the Harambeans Alliance is about more than the companies they build. It is about what happens when exceptional entrepreneurs choose to build together.
“We are not simply selecting entrepreneurs. We are assembling an Alliance of people who will shape one another and, ultimately, shape the trajectory of Africa.” Denver Isaacs, Chief of Staff, Harambeans
The 19th Class now joins a Pan-African community built over nearly two decades around a simple pledge: “to work together as one” to build Africa’s future.
ENGINEERING & HEALTH
- Rama Afullo H’26 is the Kenyan founder of Satlyt. Satlyt turns satellites into AI-driven virtual data centers that deliver secure, low-latency edge computing from space.
- Douglas Karugaba Baguma H’26 is from Uganda and the founder of Innovex, a company building smart devices and software that help equipment distributors remotely monitor, control and finance their energy systems.
- Terach Franchi H’26 is from Ethiopia and the founder of Jireh Health. Jireh Health provides Africans access to affordable financial solutions for healthcare.
- Duncan Kariuki H’26 is the Kenyan founder of Octavia Carbon, which designs, manufactures and deploys Direct Air Capture (DAC) machines that filter CO2 from the atmosphere to reverse climate change.
AGRIBUSINESS & INVESTMENT
- Ben Dryden H’26 is the South African founder of Summit Deals, a company that invests in and supports entrepreneurs to raise capital from Seed to pre-IPO.
- Nicholas Rawhani H’26 is from South Africa and is the founder of Vula. Vula connects African small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with funding opportunities and provides tools for founders to manage their investment operations more efficiently.
- Soinato Leboo H’26 is from Kenya and the founder of Rhea. Rhea delivers precision soil health and farm input recommendations through affordable data-driven technologies.
- Buffy Okeke-Ojiudu H’26 Is from Nigeria and is the founder of Zebra CropBank, Africa’s post-harvest produce banking platform for farmers to store, manage and monetize their production.
ENTERPRISE & LOGISTICS
- Alex Mativo H’26 is the founder of Duck. Duck gives brands a live view of what’s selling and what’s out of stock to prevent stockouts and reduce excess inventory in supermarkets.
- Samuela Rubuye H’26 is from Congo. He is the founder of Carnayo, a company making daily transport in Congo safer, more reliable and affordable.
- Ope Onaboye H’26 is the Nigerian founder of Renda, a company helping businesses to get their goods delivered while giving drivers credit to fuel, repair and stay on the road.
- Bradley Opere H’26 is the Kenyan founder of Otto, software that helps rental operators to run and grow their businesses online, starting with cars.
FINTECH & EDTECH
- Eyitayo Ogunmola H’26 is the Nigerian founder of Utiva, a company that matches and pays top talent from emerging markets, helping companies seamlessly build global teams.
- Ifedayo Durosinmi-Etti H’26 is the Nigerian founder of Herconomy, unlocking financial inclusion for women through high-yield savings and capital provision, empowering them to save, earn and grow wealth.
- Arthur Nakkaka H’26 is from Uganda and the founder of Rexial. Rexial builds technology to enable businesses in Africa to collect recurring payments directly from bank or mobile money accounts.