New African Magazine names Bethelehm Tilahun Alemu Most Influential African of 2014 Posted on 28 Nov 07:55

The manufacturing trendsetter

The 34-year-old entrepreneur and self-declared lover of leather may not seem like much of a rebel, but the way in which her local company soleRebels has become Africa’s fastest-growing shoe brand and first global footwear brand is certainly out of the ordinary. Alemu, who is soon launching the Republic of Leather that will produce other goods, believes Ethiopia contains huge potential for manufacturing, and as the likes of H&M and other international investors eye up the country, it seems she is not the only one.

See full listing here

FORBES AND African Business Magazine : Africa's Top 100 Young Economic Leaders Posted on 13 Nov 10:51

This month's FORBES AND African Business Magazine NAME Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu to Africa's Top 100 Young Economic Leaders

• Read The African Business Magazine Article Here (English)
• Read the Forbes Article Here (Français)

Forbes: Fastest Growing African Shoe-Brand 'SoleRebels' Launches Flagship Store In Silicon Valley Posted on 16 Oct 14:06

The SoleRebels founder & Chief Executive Officer said in a statement, “I am totally vibed to open our first US soleRebels store in Silicon Valley. We have waited a while to open our first US store because we wanted to find the perfect place to open our first US location.” Alemu described her company’s new store location in the Bay Area as “a place that epitomized the creativity, innovation, craziness, disruption and the overall WALK NAKED ethos that soleRebels is all about. Silicon Valley is the epicenter of all these things and so it’s the perfect place to launch our US retail store business and I imagine there are quite a few folks in and around Silicon Valley who can’t wait to be able to ‘walk naked.’”

Silicon Valley: Prepare to walkNAKED! Posted on 12 Sep 09:18

Full Article Here (Tadias.com)

New York (TADIAS) – What better location in the U.S. than California’s famed Silicon Valley to sell comfortable and fashionable footwear that are made from recycled materials with the added value of being 100 percent vegan?

Oprah Winfrey names Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu to her Annual Power List Posted on 21 Jul 12:14

O, The Oprah Magazine presents its fourth annual O Power List, featuring 21 women from the African continent who, through their lives, are inspiring others to follow and fulfill their purpose, as the truest version of themselves.

SEV Magazine's Beautiful Article on Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu Posted on 19 Mar 10:19

Read the full article here

Video: BARCELONA TV shines spotlight on soleRebels BARCELONA store! Posted on 12 Mar 13:17

Rebel With a Cause - SELAMTA MAGAZINE Posted on 4 Mar 11:55

SELAMTA MAGAZINE the in flight magazine of Ethiopian Airlines is spotlighting soleRebels and our founder this month 

Read Full Article Here

SoleRebels’ meteoric rise from small-scale Addis Ababa shoe shop to Africa’s fastest-growing footwear brand is a unique tale of success — especially on this continent, where opportunities do not come easily to young entrepreneurs.

Since the founding of her company in 2004, Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu has garnered much media attention and multiple international awards for her distinctive approach to manufacturing. More impressive, however, has been the sales growth that has propelled soleRebels toward global-brand recognition.

Fast Company Magazine names soleRebels founder & CEO Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu to their Most Creative People in Business 1000. Posted on 29 Jan 13:34

Bethlehem appears alongside FACEBOOK founder Mark Zuckerberg, MICROSOFT founder Bill Gates, GOOGLE Founder & CEO Larry Page, Entertainment MOGUL Jay Z, Actor and Philanthropist Matt Damon, Actor Kevin Spacey, Singer Kendrick Lamar,Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, Fashion Mogul Tory Burch, Actor & Investor Ashton Kutcher.X

Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu wins Most Valuable Entrepreneur award at 2011 Global Entrepreneurship Week [GEW] Posted on 15 Nov 22:44

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, founder & managing director of soleRebels, Africa’s fastest growing footwear brand, has been awarded the prestigious Most Valuable Entrepreneur (MVE) award during a special event at the 2011 Global Entrepreneurship Week [GEW] in Ethiopia.

 “I am honored to be given this award. I accept it with the full knowledge that not simply hard work, but good fortune and having a great team beside me, have allowed me to achieve my dreams. That is the true power of entrepreneurship - it involves not only an idea and a single person, but also those who will follow that idea, dedicate themselves to it and make it a living and breathing reality. It is within this process that greater shared prosperity for the many can be achieved.”

Global Entrepreneurship Week 2011, the world's largest celebration of entrepreneurship, features millions of people participating in thousands of events in more than 100 countries and all 50 United States. Events are held November 14-20, 2011, to celebrate innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity. Now in its fourth year, Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) will bring together aspiring and inspiring entrepreneurs, helping them embrace originality, imagination and ingenuity through local, national and global activities.

GEW has grown exponentially since its inaugural event in 2008. Last year more than 7.5 million people took part in an estimated 37,000 events across 104 countries and this year more than 10 million people in 102 countries are expected to participate. Co-founded by the Kauffman Foundation and Enterprise UK, a business-led, government-backed campaign in the United Kingdom, GEW helps develop young people's knowledge, skills and networks to inspire them to grow sustainable enterprises. Students, educators, entrepreneurs, business leaders, employees, non-profit leaders, government officials and others will participate in a host of activities that are virtual and face-to-face events, large-scale competitions and intimate networking gatherings.

Ethiopia joins 119 nations to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship week from November 14 to 20. Michael Fekade, Chief Executive Officer of Empact Capital Partners, LLC, the host of the weeklong event, says it will give young people an opportunity to network. Aspiring entrepreneurs will be encouraged to foster creativity to build businesses.

Bethlehem received the award in front of a packed audience of over 300 at the GEW Ethiopia forum on "Entrepreneurship in Ethiopia" , held today at Addis Ababa University .

Addis Ababa University Faculty of Business and Economics hosted this event where Bethlehem spoke alongside fellow Ethiopian entrepreneurs Ermias Amelga founder of Access Capital , about the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship based on their personal stories and experiences. Girma Wolde-Giorgis, the president of Ethiopia, expressed his excitement for the country's first-ever celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week.