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Jessica Anuna is a 29-year Nigerian startup founder who spent her formative years in London. She has previously worked at Amazon, Net-a-Porter, Shopify, and Restock China (her other company). She holds a degree in Journalism from City University, London.

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During her time at Net-A-Porter and Amazon, she became interested in learning Chinese Mandarin which she studied in her spare time. She also learned the Chinese language and culture for two years at Imperial College London and Kings College London before deciding to relocate to Shanghai to study at Jiao Tong University. There, she continued her Chinese language studies.

While in Shanghai, She noticed how fast the Chinese economy was moving and made moves to harness the opportunities the growth brought. As she wrapped up her studies, she stayed in China to start her other company, Restock China instead of returning to London. Restock China company exported FMCG goods in bulk to wholesale distributors in the UK and US. Altogether, She spent three years after graduating in China, living in Shanghai while working in Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
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She founded klasha and became its chief executive officer in 2018. Now, Jessica is based in Lagos, Nigeria, and leads a team of 20 people at Klasha. Klasha is based in Nigeria and San Francisco, USA, and backed by Techstars. It was founded as a technology company that specialises in building software to power African commerce. Initially, the company focused on making it easier for African consumers to purchase goods directly from global fashion retailers. But now Klasha is much more than that. It has evolved to incorporate several features and a new business model that enables Africans to make payments and get the goods they want (as long as they aren’t perishable), regardless of their location. Klasha Checkout, one of the startup‘s product offerings allows merchants in the diaspora to collect payments from Africa in local currencies. Klasha uses what Africans are accustomed to such as the bank account, bank card, and USSD.
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For a 29-year-old techpreneur, Jessica has already garnered a lifetime of accomplishments. She has worked for two of the world’s most prestigious online businesses, founded two online businesses, and, in her spare time, studied and became conversant in Mandarin Chinese.  She has been featured in Forbes, WWD, and BBC London News and has given keynote speeches at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, Nairobi, and the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa. In 2019, Forbes Africa named her 30 Under 30, and separately in 2019, named her a New Wealth Creator in Africa. She was also named by Management Today as one of their “35 under 35 Ones to Watch”.
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This article was first published on 27th April 2022

eyimegwu-ekene

I am an accomplished content creator and recently delved into technical writing. I enjoy using my skills to contribute to the exciting technological advances and create awareness of evolving technological trends in Nigeria.

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