The rise of technology has afforded a new avenue for ambitious young people in third world countries. An opportunity to change their fortunes for a lifetime. One young man in particular, Mubarak Muyika has taken full advantage of this opportunity. He’s gone from being an 11 year old orphan in Kenya to appearing on the cover of the June 2015 issue of Forbes Africa Magazine as one of “Tomorrow’s Billionaires”.
Kakamega, Kenya
Mabarak was born in May, 1994 in Kakamega, Kenya. After becoming an orphan at the age of eleven, he moved in with his aunt, who owned a small book publishing and distribution company. He observed the many inefficiencies of the current website the company was using and endeavored to find a better solution. In a few months Mubarak taught himself how to code and build a website, using online training resources. Soon he delivered a complete, working e-commerce site for the small business. Seeing the need in this market, he quickly founded his own company, Hypercentury Technologies & Investments Limited, which focused on website creating and webhosting. In 2012, at the age of 18, he sold this company to a group of pan-African investors in a deal that was worth six figures.
With the proceeds from this sale, Muyika started another company, Zagace Limited, which builds software for companies to manage accounting, HR, finances, and marketing. This company has since moved from Nairobi, Kenya to San Jose, California where it continues to grow. Mubarak Muyika truly is an inspiring example of the potential of young entrepreneurs in our day. Even though he grew up as an orphan in an impoverished country, the world of technology afforded Mubarak a tremendous opportunity to succeed.
Muyika’s story is very interesting. It reminds me of how easy it is for one to find the resources necessary to learn how to code and build websites. Gaining the skills necessary to build things such as a website or software application was once only possible through a formal education, but now it is becoming much easier to find these resources through the Internet, which contains a vast amount of information.