Code for Change
How Entrepreneur Kudah Mushambi, MS/MBA (BS ’00) Is Reprogramming Africa Into A Tech Hub
by Peg Moline
Illustrated by Valerie Chiang
After 22 years in the tech industry, Kudah Mushambi, MS/MBA (BS ’00) had identified a problem. He was living in Switzerland, and as he surveyed the region, which he calls DACH—the German-speaking countries of Germany (D), Austria (A), and Switzerland (CH)—he saw a booming demand for technology and digitalization services, but a lack of available talent.
“We intentionally make it our goal to positively change the reputation and global perception of an African technologist.”
– Kudah Mushambi, Co-Founder of Adaire
The realization was well timed. Mushambi was at a career crossroads, and his former boss at Google, Andreas Henning, had just moved back to his native Germany. After mulling over the issue with his wife and Henning, he landed on a solution: Africa. It has the youngest and fastest-growing population of any continent, and Mushambi, who was born in London and raised in Zimbabwe, knew it had a vast reserve of untapped tech talent.
That opportunity is at the heart of Adaire, which Mushambi and Henning cofounded in 2021. “DACH is in the middle of a war for technology talent,” Mushambi says, noting that the company’s competitors are based in what he calls more traditional software-outsourcing hubs, like India, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe. “Right now, the African talent is invisible, at least on the global stage,” Mushambi notes. The continent is ignored by boardrooms globally, he says; even some African companies would rather engage an Indian firm.
But Africa, he says, “has eager, youthful, dormant, and underutilized talent, keen to access new opportunities.”
Fittingly, the name Adaire is inspired by a Namibian phrase, “Ada I re,” which means, “Let’s go.” And Mushambi is ready.
Starting the Startup
Adaire signed its first clients in early 2022, and—in addition to the Zurich and Berlin offices—they’ve built a team of 10 employees who work in a centralized R & D center in Windhoek, Namibia. Initially the company is focused on relatively straightforward, traditional offerings: software, website, and app development. “All the normal technologies such as JavaScript, WordPress, and Wix,” says Mushambi, along with graphic design and UI/UX services. The company will eventually provide back office, call center, and IT support.
The plan is to progress in steps, starting with the July 2023 launch of Adaire Academy—to find and recruit talent as well as offer education, re-skilling and upskilling—and progressing to a focus on newer tech such as data science and cyber security. Eventually, Mushambi wants to construct additional centers that can absorb greater numbers of talent. Within this middle phase, the company plans to offer 24/7 support for clients. The long-term goal, Mushambi says, “is to start building our own products and to generate IP using the talent we’ve assembled.”
Mushambi answers negative perceptions of outsourcing or misplaced bias against African tech prowess with three key strategies: “First, we embrace the word ‘outsourcing.’ The partners realized that the world understands the cost-focused value of outsourcing. Second, they decided to address any negative biases head on, and built in a strategy to proactively answer questions such as, ‘Is the educational system in Africa good enough?’ The answer is yes, and the purpose of Adaire Academy is to fill any gaps.” Finally, Mushambi says, “We intentionally made it our goal to positively change the reputation and global perception of an African technologist.”
But that will require finding and training a new generation of talent—an initiative that Mushambi notes is Adaire’s biggest challenge. “A lot of people have traveled to Africa on holiday,” he says. “Then, in Nairobi, for instance, they chat up their taxi driver only to find that she has a PhD in microbiology!” Adaire wants to track those people—through schools, technical academies, local presence, Ministry of Education incubators, and accelerators—and train them through Adaire Academy.
To develop the Academy curriculum, Adaire partnered with the public research university École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (“Basically, the Caltech of Switzerland,” says Mushambi) to train promising technology students. The programs will actively recruit women, with a goal of achieving a 75% female workforce—which would be transformative, should Adaire achieve its mission of unlocking one million African software developers.
Growth, Mushambi says, requires a coordinated effort of fundraising, partnerships, internships, and mentorships. While there is a rich startup ecosystem in Switzerland, Mushambi found the community slim and federal support weak when he and his wife moved there four years ago. An alliance with the Swiss Startup Association has been an important early step, providing international networking opportunities as well as a way to strengthen local support and organization. The alliance has also brought them community, clients, and critical government validation.
Marketing campaigns that challenge prevailing opinions on African tech talent will be critical, too. “We need advocates who believe in that first project, who have the understanding that this is the starting point of something really good,” Mushambi says. “People who understand the incredibleness of Africa.”
Caltech Roots — Mushambi was in high school when his chemistry teacher asked if he had ever considered studying in the United States. He was familiar with the big schools such as Yale and Princeton, but it wasn’t until he went to the British embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe, that he learned about Caltech. He applied and got a full scholarship. He found his place at the school, which he feels brought him out of his shell and embraced his inner nerd.
Impact and Income
Mushambi has had to deal with skepticism from potential clients and recruits alike. A significant concern is whether the attention paid to having a positive impact detracts from delivering excellent service. And how are they different from the traditional centers? That is why the partners came up with the tagline “ethical technology outsourcing” to shorthand what they are doing and communicate that there’s a right way to do business and treat employees.
Mushambi hopes people will come to Africa and visit Adaire’s state-of-the-art centers to get an appreciation of both the continent and the social impact the organization is having. “If we provide a safe and stable environment, everyone has a level playing field, which allows us to go above and beyond creating a professional experience for our customers, and endless opportunities for our teams.”
Editor’s note: Article corrected from the print version, which stated Mushambi was born in Zimbabwe. We apologize for the error.