The 2015 Jury

Entrepreneur, innovation consultant and field blogger, Samir Abdelkrim is also the founder of StartupBRICS.com, the first French-language media specializing in innovation in emerging countries. Samir Abdelkrim spent 8 months a year exploring Africa’s business ecosystems (which he has already visited in 20 countries), to meet the best startups on the continent. He connects the most promising entrepreneurs with investors and large groups, or they gain visibility in the major national titles like the Huffington Post, Les Echos or Le Monde where he is a Tech columnist specializing in African startups.

Born in Lomé, Togo, holds an MBA from the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce in Paris, two graduate degrees in international trade and industrial marketing, Dider Acouetey also studied management at various international universities including the Harvard Business School. After starting a career in marketing, he led a think-tank called Renaissance Africaine with the objective of mobilizing young Africans trained in the great French schools for the development of their continent of origin. Currently, Didier Acouetey is the President of the AfricSearch Group, one of the first international law firms human resources in Africa, with offices in Paris, Abidjan, Dakar, Douala, Johannesburg and Lomé.

Originally from Cameroon, Aldo Fotso is the co-founder and CEO of Africangels, Africa’s leading network of business angels. This network, explains its founders, brings together investors concerned with the choice of their investment and motivated by an entrepreneurial adventure and easier and expanded access to original files.

Paul GINIES is an international consultant on education and training, new technologies and development policies, Chief Engineer of Bridges and Water and Forests, President / Founder of Stratconseil and Chairman of the CIAN Education / Training Commission. He intervened on African issues at Sciences Po Paris and at HEC. From 2004 to 2013, he was Managing Director of 2iE – the International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering in Ouagadougou – which he built with a focus on training and employment and the promotion of social entrepreneurship and innovation in partnership with the francophone and anglophone private sector.

HEC, a doctor of state in economics, Olivier Mousson was a member of several ministerial offices, Gérard Longuet at the Ministry of Industry at Gilles de Robien at the Ministry of Equipment. He is currently a senior advisor to the Court of Auditors, responsible for monitoring industrial matters. As a committed citizen, he is also president of the Society for the Encouragement of National Industry.

President of Investors & Partners (I & P) since 2011, Jean-Michel Severino is dedicated to the emerging sector of impact investing to support the growth of small and medium-sized businesses in sub-Saharan Africa. A choice that is part of a career focused mainly on international development and its financing: Severino was Director of Development at the French Ministry of Cooperation, Vice President for East Asia at the World Bank (1996-2000) and Director General of the French Development Agency (AFD) from 2001 to 2010.