Futurize’s Fuel Africa program is an immersive training and competition that brings university students across Africa together to create new healthcare solutions. We caught up with Janet Dete, one of our Fuel Africa participants from 2022, to learn how the program impacted her and encouraged her to build her own startup.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your entrepreneurial journey?

My name is Janet Dete, and I'm a green entrepreneur building a venture called ‘Queening Africa.’ I'm currently a student at the University of Nairobi pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology. I am also extremely passionate about gender advocacy and have been working towards building a more gender-equitable community in Kenya.

I never thought I would become an entrepreneur, but I am here today because I am a go-getter, always looking for growth opportunities. When I came across Futurize’s Fuel Africa Program (a healthcare innovation program for students), I decided to join it and see where it takes me.

Industry experts mentored me during the program and taught me that to build a great venture, product, or solution, one must start by "falling in love with the problem." Reflecting on the advice I received, I discovered that my community struggled with waste management. I began researching the learnings and models we’d explored during the Fuel Africa program to build a scalable solution to this problem.

I decided to build a green startup, Queening Africa, focusing on upcycling ‘braid waste’ into items like bags and accessories. I contacted Futurize’s co-founders, Moritz Gripp and Rhea Singhla, for feedback, and they offered to support the prototyping and commercialization of my product! It's safe to say that Fuel Africa helped me realise my potential as an entrepreneur.

Janet Dete, a student at the University of Nairobi pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology and a green entrepreneur building a venture called ‘Queening Africa.’ — **“By empowering young people to become entrepreneurs, we are building more sustainable, prosperous, and equitable communities.”**

**Janet Dete**, Co-founder of Queening Africa, and a student at the University of Nairobi pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology

Can you tell us more about your startup, Queening Africa?

Queening Africa is a green enterprise that recycles hair braids disposed of at hair salons to make handbags, doormats, jewelry, and mops. Repurposing braid waste, which would otherwise break down into microplastics and release toxic gases like carbon and methane, into items that can be used in our daily lives, can boost the green economy and promote sustainable living.

A handbag made by Queening Africa from recycled hair braids

Another key driver for building Queening Africa was the rising unemployment rate among the youth and women. One of the primary aims of our organisation is to ensure these demographic groups have the right skills to get a job, earn a living and become financially independent. Our startup trains young individuals and women to design and handcraft these products and earn an income from selling them.

A large portion of our community in Kenya, the Mathare community, still lacks equal opportunities for quality education and skill-building due to limited resources. This scarcity of opportunities encouraged us to launch our own Innovation Centre to train the youth in Kenya, helping them become more employable and entrepreneurial. The Innovation Centre will be a safe space to learn, tackle different problems, and access resources for vocational training.

How has your startup grown and what impact has it had?

A significant milestone for Queening Africa was when we won the Emerging Ventures Competition in 2022 and were among Kenya's top 2 best innovations. We also went on to represent UNICEF Kenya globally and were recognized as one of the top 30 best innovations worldwide.

Since its inception, Queening Africa has made much progress in equipping young women with skills to join the workforce and earn a good living. Our enterprise has also hired women who were victims of gender-based violence and helped them become financially independent, which is a big win for us!

The next step to scaling our program will be registering as a community-based organization, apart from being an enterprise. This move will help us formally conduct training programs and collaboration sessions with a larger community through our Innovation Centres.

Queening Africa, a green enterprise that recycles hair braids disposed of at hair salons to make handbags, doormats, jewelry, and mops.

Did Fuel Africa help you develop the essential skills to become a successful entrepreneur?

When I learned that Futurize’s Fuel Africa Program would help me gain insights into innovation, venture building, and problem-solving, I knew this would be the perfect platform to broaden my entrepreneurial skill set to create an impact within my community.

The essential entrepreneurial skills I built during the program were communication, leadership, and networking capabilities.

Communication is a critical skill for an entrepreneur, as running a business requires a knack for conveying your thoughts to multiple stakeholders. As a part of Futurize’s Fuel Africa Program I learned how to communicate my ideas and vision to different individuals.

Leadership is also essential for entrepreneurs to build a team, motivate them and achieve a business goal. While participating in Fuel Africa's innovation program, I led my group and took on the challenge of keeping the students engaged and motivated throughout the program to build the best possible solution.

Networking is also vital for entrepreneurship as it helps you meet new people who could be your mentors, coaches, or partners. Fuel Africa has several mentors and coaches to guide you through the program who could be a great asset to your network. I am still in touch with my mentor from the program in 2022!

What would you recommend to students worldwide looking to be entrepreneurs?

I would say, always fall in love with the problem, not the solution. Look for problems within your communities, conduct in-depth research, target the right market, and understand if your solution is marketable. Creating work plans and business models to commercialize and scale your idea is also essential. And lastly, keep your eye open for opportunities to build a business mindset with mentorship and coaching by joining innovation programs like those offered by Futurize.

In 1 sentence can you tell us why do we need more young entrepreneurs across Africa today?

By empowering young people to become entrepreneurs, we are building more sustainable, prosperous, and equitable communities.

You could be next to launch your own business!

We design and deliver global innovation programs to give you the opportunity to test ideas, receive design thinking training, and build prototypes through experimental, cohort-based learning. Joining our programs will help you develop an entrepreneurial mindset, leadership skills, and creative problem-solving skills, preparing you to launch your own business. If you’d like to learn more about Futurize and how you can get involved, explore our programmes here.

A Chat with Janet Dete: Building a Green Startup and Advocating for Gender Equality