Partner with Us to Cultivate the Next Generation of African Innovators

Welcome to this month's edition, where I share the history and story of A2SV. Did you know that I started A2SV with the vision of training just five students? Today, we’ve trained over 800 talented individuals across 20 African countries. In this interview, I’ll take you through A2SV's origins in Ethiopia and our expansion to Ghana. We'll discuss how we've provided free, high-quality tech education, developed innovative projects for Africa, and secured over 60 software engineering roles at leading tech companies like Google, Bloomberg, and Amazon. Whether you’re an old friend of A2SV or hearing about us for the first time, I hope this conversation sparks your interest in Africa's tech talent and inspires you to support our mission or partner with us on this journey.

Question: Please tell us about when you had the idea for A2SV. What was the vision, and how did you want it to look?

Emre: I have two answers to this, as there are two stages to the story. The first stage was my vision before I came to Ethiopia, and the second is how we structured A2SV after arriving here.

Before coming to Ethiopia, my plan was simple: stay for three to six months, train five students, teach them the skills they needed to succeed in interviews with top tech companies like Google and Facebook, and connect them with opportunities. I envisioned that each of these five students would then pass on what they learned to one student from the next generation. In this way, I could train five people, and they would train five more, eventually reaching 100 people in 20 years.

But reality had different plans. After arriving in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa University gave me the chance to start an informal course and train more than just five people. I ended up training 22 software engineering students in the first cohort. These students were incredibly talented and driven. Once connected with high-quality education and opportunities, they excelled, proving they were just as capable as their peers in the US and Europe. What they had been missing was access to the right resources.

Seeing their potential and the impact we could have, I couldn’t just return to Silicon Valley as I had initially planned. Instead, some of my friends from the Valley joined me in this mission. One became a board member, and others took on executive roles in A2SV.

By late 2021, A2SV was officially incorporated as a nonprofit organization. We chose this path because our focus was on making a meaningful impact rather than generating profit. I often describe A2SV as a "for-impact" organization because our primary goal is to drive change through technology. By developing significant tech talent in Africa—talent that creates solutions for African people in Africa—we aim to be a driving force in the continent's digital transformation.

At A2SV, our focus is on tech education, talent development, and incubation. These efforts are critical steps toward our larger goal of creating digital projects and building a system similar to a startup factory. We aim to support talent and digital initiatives that will lead Africa’s digital transformation. Our journey has just begun, and we are excited to continue empowering the next generation of tech leaders in Africa.

Question: Is A2SV currently close to the vision you had when you started?

Emre: When I first started A2SV, I hoped to train just 100 students over 20 years. It’s incredible, but in less than five years, we’ve already trained over 800 students. We've not just met the original vision; we've far exceeded it!

Initially, the dream was quite small, but after our first group of students, things really took off. For example, during our second batch of Google interviews, an impressive 13 out of 22 students passed. Seeing such great results, I knew we could do even more.

As time went on, the tech world faced some tough times. By 2022, hiring had slowed, and by 2023 and 2024, we were seeing lots of layoffs. This made it tough for our graduates to find jobs. To tackle this, we decided to start something new—an incubation arm to create digital products right here in Africa. We staffed this new division with full-time professionals focused on development, officially launching it early 2023.

This pivot not only helped us manage the challenges but also pushed us further towards a bigger goal: to not just train, but also empower our students to innovate and build solutions that matter. So, yeah, A2SV today is much more than I ever imagined it would be!

Question: When did you realize that you wanted to dedicate yourself to this vision full-time? Can you highlight the key achievements and growth of A2SV from the beginning to where it is now?

Emre: The realization came gradually, even before I fully noticed it myself. Back in 2012, I dedicated my master's thesis to the vulnerable children of Africa. While most of my peers were dedicating theirs to friends and family, I felt drawn to make a broader impact. I hadn’t been to Africa then; my understanding came mainly from documentaries. Still, like many, I knew about the challenges and scarcity of resources.

Years later, while in the Bay Area, I stumbled upon my old master's thesis and that dedication resurfaced. It was a moment of introspection. I thought, "Emre, actions speak louder than words." At that time, I knew only one African person. When I shared my wish to go to a highly populated, culturally rich, English-speaking, and safe African country, she said, "Emre, you’re describing Ethiopia. You should go to Ethiopia." That conversation set me on a path to Ethiopia.

Arriving without any contacts, I did some research and found that Addis Ababa University was among the best in Ethiopia. I walked into the university, found the department head, and shared my vision. That conversation kickstarted A2SV as a volunteer initiative.

The turning point came after seeing the results with our first group of students. We achieved a 27% success rate initially, which jumped to 59% in our second round of interviews. This success was compelling. I realized I couldn’t return to Silicon Valley as planned because the potential here was enormous, and I wanted to make a real impact. Google’s interest further fueled this decision. They approached us, asking if we could expand our training to Ghana and offered to support us financially. This was even before A2SV was officially an NGO.

In 2019, we started A2SV operations on November 15. By 2021, prompted by Google's suggestion, we incorporated as a nonprofit, formalizing our mission. Google’s sponsorship allowed us to expand to three universities in Ethiopia and one in Ghana. Our growth has not just been national but international, with internal metrics showing that our students excel, whether in Ethiopia, Ghana, or learning remotely across 20 African countries.

The most rewarding part is seeing our graduates come back to teach the next generation. We’ve trained over 800 students so far. In terms of outcomes, we’ve secured more than 60 offers from top tech companies, including over 30 from 谷歌 alone, which surpasses the combined results of the top four universities in Africa.

In just five years, we’ve achieved what I had initially imagined for a much longer timeframe. We also launched our incubator arm, and our first generation of projects are already making waves during beta testing. Soon, the world will see the impactful technologies we are developing for the continent. This journey has exceeded all expectations and solidified my commitment to A2SV’s mission.

Question: When did you realize there was more impact to be made beyond helping students secure jobs at top tech companies? How were the ideas for CoreDev projects and the hackathon born?

Emre: The changing market conditions pushed us to think beyond just training talent. When big tech companies started hiring freezes and layoffs, it became clear we needed new ways to make an impact. We knew we had students with skills on par with those at Google, so we launched CoreDev projects to utilize this talent effectively. This initiative became one of A2SV's key areas.

We also wanted to have a broader impact on the African tech ecosystem. That’s why we decided to create a continent-wide event to highlight African talent. Our goal was to go beyond the usual short-term boot camps and create something with lasting impact.

Transforming a regular engineering student into a Google-level engineer in three months is exceptional and rare. We wanted to make sure this transformation wasn't a one-off but something we could repeat consistently. So, we made the A2SV education program longer and more intensive. Similarly, instead of a typical short hackathon, we created the A2SV Hackathon as a three-month event with multiple stages to ensure deeper learning and more robust outcomes.

The hackathon starts with workshops from experts at leading tech companies like Google, Meta, LinkedIn, and TikTok. These experts mentor participants, helping them refine their ideas for the next stages. The quarter-finals, which last two days and are held remotely, kick off the competition. The top 32 teams move on to the semifinals, where they receive nine weeks of intensive support from advisors and industry experts to develop real-world solutions.

Currently, these 32 teams are competing fiercely to secure a spot in the grand finale. With their projects continuously evolving, and backed by expert guidance, they are preparing to bring their innovative ideas to life. The top eight teams will earn their place in Ethiopia for the grand finale, where they will pitch their groundbreaking solutions to the public, jury members, and potential investors. This will be their opportunity to showcase not just their technical skills, but also their vision for the future of Africa.

This approach doesn’t just create tech talent; it builds leaders and innovators capable of driving significant change. We are creating a platform where the best minds come together to shape the future of technology in Africa.

Question: What are A2SV's long-term goals, and how do you envision scaling your impact across Africa by 2030 and beyond?

Emre: Our vision for the next couple of years is to scale A2SV's operations across more African countries, expanding both our remote and in-person education programs to reach a broader range of students. We aim to create impactful digital solutions through our incubator arm, addressing critical issues such as healthcare, education, community development, and communications.

Currently, we are developing key projects like Adot , which focuses on improving maternal health for women in Africa, and SkillBridge , which offers AI-powered educational tools to support students. Projects like AKIL connects NGOs with volunteers to support community development, while AfroChat provides AI solutions for individuals and businesses. Additionally, RateEat improves food service experiences, and Eskalate connects our talented African developers with global opportunities. These projects have been presented at major tech events such as GITEX Africa, showcasing their potential to drive meaningful change.

Looking ahead, our immediate focus is on significantly scaling our initiatives. Over the next five years, we plan to train 8,500 Google-caliber students and launch 81 new projects that will drive innovation and entrepreneurship across the continent. By 2030, our goal is to expand this impact to 24,000 trained students and 200 startups. Ultimately, by 2040, we aspire to reach 2.6 million students and support the development of 20,000 startups.

This ambitious growth will be fueled by a combination of in-person education and the expansion of our remote programs, empowering students to create digital products that address community needs. Our long-term vision is to turn A2SV into a startup factory, connecting young African innovators with global opportunities and driving sustainable development across the continent.

Question: What kind of support does A2SV need at the moment?

Emre: A2SV urgently needs financial support to continue our mission of empowering African university students through technology. Our current funding will only sustain us until the end of September, and we aim to launch our next education season in October. Without immediate help, we face the risk of halting our free educational programs that have already transformed the lives of 800 talented students.

Why Your Support Matters:

• Financial Sponsors: We are seeking sponsors—companies, foundations, and individuals—who believe in the transformative power of education and innovation. Your financial contributions are critical to sustaining our programs and supporting our incubation projects. Every contribution, big or small, helps us reach more students and expand our impact across Africa.

Additional Support Opportunities:

• Corporate Partnerships: Partnering with tech companies can offer our students invaluable internships and full-time job opportunities, providing real-world experience that prepares them for successful careers in tech.
• Advisors: We are looking for dedicated individuals who can mentor our students and guide their projects. Advisors provide essential insights and support, helping students navigate their development paths and achieve their full potential.

Act Now to Make a Difference:

Our programs have changed lives, but we can't continue without your support.

Please visit here to make a donation today. For more information or to discuss partnership opportunities, contact me directly at [email protected] or +1 (470) 846 9962. Together we can create a brighter future for Africa through technology.