Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
Raino Tech4Impact takes part in the Alibaba Global Initiative 7th eFounders Fellowship at Alibaba Headquarters in Hangzhou China. The eFounders Fellowship program is jointly organized by Alibaba Business School and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), who are implementing the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. Raino Tech4Impact was among 30 start-ups from Sub-Saharan Africa who received first-hand exposure to eCommerce and digital innovations, access to business leaders across Alibaba and China, as well as an opportunity to connect with like-minded, leading entrepreneurs from Africa.
The two-week intensive program is aimed at shaping ‘Champions of the New Economy’ and provided Raino Tech4Impact a chance to study the inclusive economies concept of Taobao Villages. The Taobao Village Concept has seen rural China generate $195 billion worth of e-commerce sales in 2018, outpacing China’s overall e-commerce market, even without freely available internet. Raino Tech4Impact seeks to implement some of the lessons on leveraging technology to support rural communities in Kenya.
The fellowship included visits to Jack Ma’s apartment in Hangzhou the genesis of Alibaba, Cainiao the super logistics smart warehouses with impressive robots and fully automated. Raino Tech4Impact Managing Director met Alibaba Group Vice President, Brian Wong. We are looking forward to the lucrative partnership Alibaba has with Africa through the US$ 1 M Africa Netpreneur Prize.
