For Mubarak Muyika, being an entrepreneur seemed natural.
The young Kenyan first started taking business classes in high school. Orphaned at a young age, he lived in Bungoma County with adoptive parents, who owned a publishing and distribution company called, Acrodile Publishers. While working for the company, Mubarak noticed it lacked a powerful website through which to expand and conduct business. To solve this problem, Mubarak taught himself how to build websites and eventually built one for Acrodile. His website was a great success with the company, allowing them to conduct efficient online operations and transactions.
In addition to teaching himself web building skills, Mubarak was also an excellent student. In fact, his academic achievements earned him an offer of a full scholarship to Harvard University in 2012. However, Mubarak’s entrepreneurial aspirations led him to turn down the deal. Concerning this decision, one of Mubarak’s mentors, Chris Kirubi said in an interview with Business Daily, “Mr Muyika is enterprising and focused, I recommended him to Harvard University but noticed that entrepreneurship came first and he had no obligation to pursue the course”.
WATCH: MEET MUBARAK – 2012 ANZISHA PRIZE FINALIST
Mubark’s entrepreneurial preference was made official when he started Hype Century Technologies in 2011. Hype Century was aimed at building websites for small to medium sized businesses. Mubarak told Business Daily about his enterprise: “We started very small, with Sh50,000 [about $60] which I had saved from a freelance job I had been doing as a student and after High School. My first client was so impressed that he offered me space in his office at Rehema House in Nairobi”. With relatively few resources, Mubarak built his company to huge success through creating websites for small businesses. As a testament to his entrepreneurial achievements, Mubarak was awarded the 2012 Anzisha prize. The Anzisha prize recognizes and rewards successful young African entrepreneurs that have an impact on their communities.
While in South Africa to accept the award, Mubarak started talking to Jim Doursey, an investor (and current interim CEO for Twitter) who became interested in Hype Century…
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