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soleRebels Video Feature from the 2011 Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship Posted on 12 Dec 07:55
This video feature was played at the Gala Night for the 2011 Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship, held in Nairobi.
The Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship are sponsored by Legatum, the Omidyar Network, and Google, and this year's awards were selected by an elite group of judges, including Virgin Founder, Sir Richard Branson.
soleRebels was selected as a Winner at the Awards, and received a prize of $50,000 USD.
Click here to read the full press release of the announcement.
soleRebels named WINNER at 2011 Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship Posted on 9 Dec 19:03
soleRebels wins $50,000 USD prize at Africa’s elite business awards and gains business icon Sir Richard Branson as new fan!
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – soleRebels Africa’s fastest growing footwear brand bested over 3000 top level African companies and was named one of 5 winners of the prestigious 2011 Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship ! .
Company founder and managing director Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu accepted the award on behalf of the company last night in Nairobi at a gala attended by many luminaries of global business including Sir Richard Branson who is now a dedicated fan of the company!
“ I am elated by this award. It is recognition that soleRebels is at the forefront of a new business paradigm on the continent , one where African driven businesses and brands are elevating Africa’s global competitiveness by winning in the global marketplace !” stated Bethlehem .
The Awards , dubbed the Nobel of Business Awards in Africa , honors Africa’s best entrepreneurs who work to create businesses that meet the needs of those around them and by doing so raise the living standards of their communities while also creating something of lasting value for themselves, their employees, their communities and their nations . The Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship is owned and founded by Legatum a private investment group, based in Dubai, with a twenty-five year heritage of global investing. They manage a multi-billion dollar fund of proprietary capital which is allocated to businesses and programmes that promote sustainable development.
Legatum is joined by Omidyar Network as a major sponsor of the 2011 Africa Awards. Omidyar Network is a philanthropic investment firm dedicated to harnessing the power of markets to create opportunity for people to improve their lives. Established in 2004 by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam, the organization invests in and helps scale innovative organizations to catalyze economic and social change. To date, Omidyar Network has committed more than $400 million to for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations that foster economic advancement and encourage individual participation across multiple investment areas, including microfinance, property rights, government transparency, and social media.
“This years Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship had over 3,300 top companies in 48 African countries, all who went through vigorous multistage vetting , and all who were competing for ONLY 6 final awards ! This was the most competitive field the Awards has ever seen. soleRebels selection as a winner tonight puts the company into a very special category of business achievement ”, commented Hamish Banks, Head of Corporate Communications for Legatum.
Google is also a partner of the 2011 Africa Awards . Their mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Google's strategy in Africa is to get more users online by developing an accessible, relevant and sustainable internet ecosystem.
- Reducing access as a barrier to all potential users
- Making the Internet relevant and useful to Africans
- Helping strengthen an Internet ecosystem in Africa that is vibrant, and sustainable and self-sufficient in the long- term
The Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship is collaborating with Google in exploring a number of initiatives to promote African entrepreneurship within the scope of the Africa Awards programme.
soleRebels reaches FINALS in 2011 Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship Posted on 31 Oct 20:23
Company founder Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu to Nairobi to give final presentation to elite panel of judges headed by VIRGIN founder Sir Richard Branson.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – soleRebels Africa’s fastest growing footwear brand has bested well over 3000 top level African companies and reached the finals of the prestigious 2011 Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship!
Company founder and managing director Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu will now head to Nairobi, Kenya on December 8th, 2011 to give a final presentation in front of an elite panel of judges headed by VIRGIN founder Sir Richard Branson.
The Awards, dubbed the Nobel of Business Awards in Africa, honors Africa’s best entrepreneurs who work to create businesses that meet the needs of those around them and by doing so raise the living standards of their communities while also creating something of lasting value for themselves, their employees, their communities and their nations and rewards them with prizes of $350,000. “At our core we at soleRebels are creative artisans who aim to craft the coolest and most comfortable footwear. We do this by combining our heritage artisan crafts with modern design sensibilities, while pouring our creative selves into our shoes. The final result is that when our footwear is bought, the purchaser can SEE, FEEL and enjoy all the elements of heart, soul and creative craftsmanship that have gone into their construction. We are deeply proud that that this ethos has carried us to the finals of this amazing competition!” stated Bethlehem.
The Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship is owned and founded by Legatum, a private investment group, based in Dubai, with a twenty-five year heritage of global investing. They manage a multi-billion dollar fund of proprietary capital which is allocated to businesses and programmes that promote sustainable development.
Legatum is joined by Omidyar Network as a major sponsor of the 2011 Africa Awards. Omidyar Network is a philanthropic investment firm dedicated to harnessing the power of markets to create opportunity for people to improve their lives. Established in 2004 by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam, the organization invests in and helps scale innovative organizations to catalyze economic and social change. To date, Omidyar Network has committed more than $400 million to for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations that foster economic advancement and encourage individual participation across multiple investment areas, including microfinance, property rights, government transparency, and social media.
“This years Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship received more than 3,300 applications from top companies in 48 African countries, the most ever received. soleRebels selection as a finalist puts the company into an elite category of achievement”, commented Hamish Banks, Head of Corporate Communications for Legatum.
Google is also a partner of the 2011 Africa Awards . Their mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Google's strategy in Africa is to get more users online by developing an accessible, relevant and sustainable internet ecosystem.
- Reducing access as a barrier to all potential users
- Making the Internet relevant and useful to Africans
- Helping strengthen an Internet ecosystem in Africa that is vibrant, and sustainable and self-sufficient in the long-term
The Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship is collaborating with Google in exploring a number of initiatives to promote African entrepreneurship within the scope of the Africa Awards programme.
soleRebels reaches FINAL 15 in 2011 Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship Posted on 11 Oct 21:40
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – soleRebels, Africa’s fastest growing footwear brand, has inched one step closer to the prestigious 2011 Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship with its selection to THE FINAL 15 companies who will proceed to the final round of judging.
“At our core, we at soleRebels are creative artisans who aim to craft the coolest and most comfortable footwear. We do this by combining our heritage artisan crafts with modern design sensibilities, while pouring our creative selves into our shoes. The final result is that when our footwear is bought, the purchaser can SEE, FEEL and enjoy all the elements of heart, soul and creative craftsmanship that have gone into their construction. We are deeply proud that that this ethos has carried us to the top 15 of this amazing competition!” stated soleRebels founder and managing director Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu.
The Awards, dubbed the Nobel of Business Awards in Africa, honors Africa’s best entrepreneurs who work to create businesses that meet the needs of those around them and by doing so raise the living standards of their communities while also creating something of lasting value for themselves, their employees, their communities and their nations and rewards them with prizes of $350,000.
This years Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship received more than 3,300 applications from top companies in 48 African countries, the most ever received. soleRebels selection to the final 15 puts it into an elite category of achievement for the companies selected.
The Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship is owned and founded by Legatum a private investment group, based in Dubai, with a twenty-five year heritage of global investing. They manage a multi-billion dollar fund of proprietary capital which is allocated to businesses and programmes that promote sustainable development.
Legatum is joined by Omidyar Network as a major sponsor of the 2011 Africa Awards. Omidyar Network is a philanthropic investment firm dedicated to harnessing the power of markets to create opportunity for people to improve their lives. Established in 2004 by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam, the organization invests in and helps scale innovative organizations to catalyze economic and social change. To date, Omidyar Network has committed more than $400 million to for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations that foster economic advancement and encourage individual participation across multiple investment areas, including microfinance, property rights, government transparency, and social media. To learn more, visit www.omidyar.com.
Google is also a partner of the 2011 Africa Awards. Their mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Google's strategy in Africa is to get more users online by developing an accessible, relevant and sustainable internet ecosystem.
- Reducing access as a barrier to all potential users
- Making the Internet relevant and useful to Africans
- Helping strengthen an Internet ecosystem in Africa that is vibrant, and sustainable and self-sufficient in the long-term
The Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship is collaborating with Google in exploring a number of initiatives to promote African entrepreneurship within the scope of the Africa Awards programme.
Ten Finalists will be honored at this year's invitation-only Gala Awards that will take place on December 8th, 2011 in Nairobi, Kenya. The Gala Awards event will lead into a high-profile conference on entrepreneurship - CONVERGENCE Africa, which will be addressed by business luminaries like Sir Richard Branson. One Grand Prize winner will receive US $100,000 to invest back into the business and employees, and five others will receive awards of US $50,000.
soleRebels selected to the TOP 30 in 2011 Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship Posted on 26 Sep 07:27
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – soleRebels, Africa’s fastest growing footwear brand, has been selected as one of the top 30 companies to proceed to the next round of judging in the 2011 Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship.
This year's Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship received more than 3,300 applications from top companies in 48 African countries, making selection to the top 30 an already elite category of achievement for the companies selected. The top 30 will be judged again and the Africa Awards will then announce their top 15!!!
The Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship is owned and founded by Legatum a private investment group, based in Dubai, with a twenty-five year heritage of global investing. they manage a multi-billion dollar fund of proprietary capital which is allocated to businesses and programmes that promote sustainable development.
“I am absolutely elated that we have reached the top 30. In itself speaks to the amazing work we have accomplished as a team and the immense potential this company and our brand has,” stated soleRebels founder and managing director Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu.
Legatum is joined by Omidyar Network as a major sponsor of the 2011 Africa Awards. Omidyar Network is a philanthropic investment firm dedicated to harnessing the power of markets to create opportunity for people to improve their lives. Established in 2004 by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam, the organization invests in and helps scale innovative organizations to catalyze economic and social change. To date, Omidyar Network has committed more than $400 million to for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations that foster economic advancement and encourage individual participation across multiple investment areas, including microfinance, property rights, government transparency, and social media. To learn more, visit www.omidyar.com.
Google is also a partner of the 2011 Africa Awards. Their mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Google's strategy in Africa is to get more users online by developing an accessible, relevant, and sustainable internet ecosystem.
- Reducing access as a barrier to all potential users
- Making the Internet relevant and useful to Africans
- Helping strengthen an Internet ecosystem in Africa that is vibrant, sustainable, and self-sufficient in the long-term
- The Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship is collaborating with Google in exploring a number of initiatives to promote African entrepreneurship within the scope of the Africa Awards programme.
Ten Finalists will be honored at this year's invitation-only Gala Awards attended by Africa's business leaders, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and international media. One Grand Prize winner will receive US $100,000 to invest back into the business and employees, and five others will receive awards of US$50,000.
soleRebels a Featured Entrepreneur by the Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship Posted on 19 Jul 08:08
We are honored the Africa Awards announced soleRebels as a FEATURED ENTREPRENEUR this week! See what they had to say about soleRebels below:
"The company’s business model, product design, quality and global success has attracted strong interest from international media. The Guardian Newspaper in the UK recently featured soleRebels in an article entitled "Ethiopia firm recycling tyres into shoes does big business via internet" while the web's leading eco-fashion report dubbed the company the "most fabulous eco shoemaker on the planet" and DISCOVERY CHANNEL presenter Summer Rayne Oakes named soleRebels the "world's coolest fair trade brand"."