Cynthia E. Chisom is a distinguished Startup Advisor and ecosystem leader shaping Africa’s early-stage innovation landscape.
As the Partner of Research & Advisory at SDC, she specializes in developing the models, theories, and frameworks that define how startups and ecosystems are built and supported across the continent.
By combining strategic advisory with a passion for scalable startup education, she is creating a more structured future for the continent's entrepreneurs.
She has collaborated with top organizations like MTN, VillCap Accelerator, Mastercard Foundation, CC Hub, The Enugu State Government, UNIDO, and many others and earned recognitions, including Nigeria’s 100 Most Inspiring Women (2022) and Tech Cabal’s key Abuja ecosystem builder (2024).
Cynthia holds an MSc in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Management from Imperial College London Business School.
Beyond startups, she leads a company dedicated to preserving a century-old craft of shoe repair under the organization of The Aboki Africa, which has earned awards from PEBEC, Anshiza Prize Africa, and others. She has worked with London’s Crockett and Jones and Hoxton Shoe Repair in pursuit of this mission.
Global Tech Africa 20263–5 November 2026, Amani Events Center, Kano
