Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST), a Pan-African training program, seed fund and incubator for technology entrepreneurs in Africa, has announced the appointment of Aaron Fu as Managing Director, in an effort to strengthen its presence across the continent.
MEST provides a 12-month Entrepreneur-in-Training (EIT) program, which infuses African tech enthusiasts with a combination of hard IT and practical business skills, equipping them to build successful commercial tech companies. At the end of the program, teams have the opportunity to pitch for funding and a seat at the MEST Incubator.
Aaron Fu previously served as Managing Partner for Nest in Africa for two years. Mr Fu has experience within investment firms, startups and in traditional corporate roles, including Standard Chartered Bank and Societe Generale, throughout Asia, Europe, Australia and Africa. MEST aims to tap this experience and build on its global network, “creating a truly Pan-African program that is fully supported and embedded in tech hubs across Silicon Valley, Europe, and Asia.”
While making the announcement, MEST’s Founder and CEO, Jorn Lyseggen, said, “We’re thrilled to welcome Aaron to the team. MEST was founded on the idea that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. Aaron will be critical to helping MEST deepen and broaden our presence across key regions of the continent so we can reach more talent and provide our existing entrepreneurs with significant resources and an unbeatable network, both in Africa and globally, to help them expand their businesses into new markets or launch in their home countries.”
“I’m excited to join a team that’s making such incredible strides on the continent. MEST has become truly Pan-African in nature, as evidenced by the diverse community it has built in Accra, Ghana. I’m excited to think about how we can push this out to the rest of the continent. I’ve been both an entrepreneur and investor, and I believe in taking a founder-first approach to scaling startups. I look forward to leading MEST and taking its already substantial impact to the next level,” said Aaron Fu.
