She Built Rwanda’s First Tech Powerhouse While Still in University

In the wake of Rwanda’s remarkable journey toward becoming a continental tech hub, few names carry as much weight as Clarisse Iribagiza. While many entrepreneurs wait for the "perfect" moment, after a degree, after a corporate stint, or after securing massive funding, Clarisse started while she was still a student at the University of Rwanda’s College of Science and Technology. In 2010, at just 22 years old, she looked at the rapidly growing mobile phone penetration in her country and realised that the future of Rwandan commerce wouldn't be found on billboards or in shop windows, but in the palms of people's hands.

The inception of her company, HeHe Limited (now HeHe), was born out of a mix of academic curiosity and a fierce desire for local sovereignty in tech. At the time, most high-end software in Rwanda was imported or managed by foreign firms. Clarisse and her classmates wanted to prove that Rwandan developers could build world-class solutions for Rwandan problems. Speaking to the East African Business Week in 2015, she recalled the early days of working out of a small, shared space, often staying up all night to refine code for their first clients. They weren't just building apps; they were building an industry from scratch.

One of Clarisse’s most significant breakthroughs came from identifying the "last mile" problem in African retail. Many small businesses had products, and many customers had phones, but there was no digital bridge connecting them effectively. HeHe developed a suite of tools that allowed businesses to manage inventory, process payments, and organise deliveries through mobile interfaces. This wasn't a copy-paste of a Silicon Valley model; it was a bespoke solution designed for a country with a unique topography and a rapidly digitising population. According to a 2017 feature in Forbes Africa, Clarisse’s vision was always about "democratizing access to technology" so that a small boutique in Kigali could compete with a global brand.

The journey was not without its "growing pains." In the early 2010s, the concept of a female-led tech startup was still a novelty in many quarters. Clarisse often found herself in boardrooms where she was the youngest person and the only woman. She navigated these spaces with a quiet, steely confidence, letting the quality of HeHe’s software speak for itself. Her resilience paid off. In 2014, she won a $50,000 grant from a competitive entrepreneurship reality show, which she used to scale the company. Shortly after, she was recognised by the Italian government as one of the world's most promising young entrepreneurs, and in 2015, she was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

Beyond her own company, Clarisse has been instrumental in shaping the wider ecosystem. She served as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council for President Paul Kagame, providing insights on how to foster a knowledge-based economy. Her work has evolved from simple app development to complex supply chain logistics, helping thousands of Rwandan businesses reach over two million consumers. As she told The New Times Rwanda in a 2022 interview, her goal has shifted from just building a successful business to ensuring that the "Made in Rwanda" brand is synonymous with digital excellence.

Today, HeHe stands as a veteran in the African tech space, and Clarisse continues to mentor the next generation of innovators at the kLab and FabLab in Kigali. She remains a firm believer that Africa’s greatest resource is not what is in the ground, but the code being written in its universities. Her story is a powerful reminder that you don't need a finished degree or a massive office to start changing the world—you just need a problem worth solving and the grit to stick with it.

Lessons for Budding Makers

Clarisse Iribagiza’s rise as a tech pioneer offers two critical lessons for any young innovator:

1. Start Where You Are: You do not need to wait for "expert" status or a graduation ceremony to launch your idea. Clarisse used her university environment as an incubator, treating her coursework as a testing ground for real-world products.
2. Build for the Local Context: While global trends are important, the most successful innovations solve specific, local friction points, like Rwanda's unique retail and logistics challenges. Always ask yourself if your product makes life easier for the person on your own street.