Celebrating Ndi-Igbo

George is the founder and CEO of DivvyRide . DivvyRide is a start-up that is transforming the current ride share industries. By developing a solutions based model, DivvyRide has created a paradigm shift in ride hailing services by taking the best of the car-for-hire model and combining it with the innovation and forward momentum of the ride share industry.  DivvyRide lets you book rides up to a year in advance, giving you an exact quote for your fare before you order. The app also has options to book immediate rides. A standard DivvyRide fare pairs you with another rider going the same direction as you, but it’s possible to get a private ride for a slight up-charge. George is a graduate of Indiana University and a former employee of Goldman Sachs. Thanks to Chika Unigwe

One to watch Zim Ugochukwu is the CEO of Travel Noire, a digital publishing platform for travelers of color. With an audience of 150k+, she is changing the way we view international travel, forever. Zim has cloned genes linked to genetic disorders, traveled on a 10-day, 4,900 miles national journey on a train through India to shadow social entrepreneurs and recently launched Travel Noire Academy, an online travel school comprised of courses and challenges tailored to the black experience. She was named in Glamour Magazine’s “20 Amazing Young Women Who Are Already Changing the World” and Triad Business Journal’s “Top 40 Under Forty,” Zim was born in Mankato, Minnesota Sources: blackenterprise dot com, Zim Web

One to watch Chinedu Azodoh is a co-founder of Metro Africa Express (MAX). MAX is a crowdsourced last-mile delivery platform that recruits and trains thousands of motorcycle riders and transforms them into a network of delivery agents for small to medium sized merchants. Their goal is to become the “Uber” of ecommerce last-mile logistics in Africa. Chinedu Azodoh develops MAX’s financing and pricing models and validates the startup’s key business model assumptions. He leads the engineering team and takes ownership of the MAX Technology Stack. He holds a BSc in Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering from Illinois Tech. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Finance from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Chinedu has experience leading software development teams at Fortune 50 corporations. He worked as an analyst and developer at Barclays and Goldman Sachs and gained solid experience in Finance and Competitive Market Analysis. Chinedu is passionate about building busin...

One to watch A self-declared "nerd," Chidinma 'Nma' Okpara is a Nigerian Chef, serving up -- you guessed it -- quick and easy Nigerian food. Nma who hails from Imo state was recently featured in CNN's article "5 African food bloggers you need to start following now". She was also featured in Venture Africa's article "8 female bloggers changing the face of cuisine in Africa". Nma's food is hearty, with stews and soups aplenty. She records her food with the passion she thrives on, style and photographic panache. The need to celebrate Nigerian meals and teach others a simpler method of preparing them inspired her well known blog - Nigerianlazychef.com . She also has plans to showcase Africa’s exotic cuisines through her “Dine Africa” project. In her words "Food does not have to be complicated. Food brings love, food brings happiness". Chidinma is surely one to watch. Sources: CNN, Venture Africa, Nigeria Lazy Chef, Chidinma O...

Chizoba is the founder and Executive Director of Unveiling Africa (UVA), an international non-profit that unites and connects Nigerian teenagers around the globe for positive social change. She holds a Masters in Educational Administration and International Development Education from the University of Toronto and is currently pursuing a PhD. Chizoba’s excellence and contributions in the community, professional life and academia has gained recognition. She is the recipient of the 2013 Heroes Award for Selfless Service to Africa, Global Citizenship Award from the University of Alberta International, Teamwork Award from Alberta Transportation and the BBPA Minerva Scholarship for academic excellence. Chizoba is a Junior Fellow at Massey College in University of Toronto.

Chigozie Obioma was born in Nigeria. He has lived in Cyprus, Turkey and now the United States where he is a professor of Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. A recipient of Hopwood Awards in fiction and poetry, his fiction has appeared in Virginia Quarterly Review and Transition. His novel, THE FISHERMEN, has been published originally in English by ONE/Pushkin Press (UK), Little, Brown (US/Canada), Scribe (Australia/NZ), and in 8 languages since Spring 2015. Chigozie Obioma was described by the NY Times as truly the heir to ­Chinua Achebe. Source: chigozieobioma.com, NY Times.

Ebele Okobi is facebook's head of public policy in Africa. Before joining Facebook Ebele was the Director of Yahoo!’s Business & Human Rights Program, leading Yahoo!’s efforts to promote privacy and free expression on the Internet. Before Yahoo!, Ebele worked as a corporate securities and mergers & acquisitions attorney at Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York, Paris and London, an attorney fellow at Consumers Union (a consumer rights advocacy non-profit) in San Francisco, a director of Advisory Services at Catalyst (a non-profit with the mission of advancing women in business) in San Jose and Amsterdam and at Nike’s EMEA headquarters in Amsterdam, where she created marketing, corporate responsibility and business development strategy for Africa. In 2001, she took a year-long sabbatical in order to volunteer for human rights organizations in the US and Senegal. Ms. Okobi, who hails from Asaba, earned a BA in Psychology from the University of Southern California, a JD fro...