Ten Tech Leaders From Europe and Africa Honoured at EU-Startups Summit 2025
A group of ten technology entrepreneurs and executives from across Europe and Africa has been honoured through the EU-Africa Startups Partnership Recognition initiative, which celebrates individuals helping to drive innovation in the digital technology space.
Titled “10 Digital Technology Leaders Who Shaped the Digital Future, 2015–2025,” the recognition brought together founders and executives working across artificial intelligence, aerospace, fintech, digital platforms, and other fast-growing corners of the tech world.
The announcement made at the EU-Startups Summit 2025, dated April 24–25 at Valletta’s Mediterranean Conference Centre in Malta, one of Europe’s leading gatherings for startup founders, investors and innovation-focused organisations.
About the Summit
Now in its 11th year, the EU-Startups Summit drew roughly 2,200 attendees, including founders, investors and startup enthusiasts, for two days packed with keynotes, panels, networking, an exhibition hall and a pitch competition. Organisers noted that close to 1,500 startups had applied to pitch, with a final 15 making it to the competition stage.
The Honourees
The recognition graphic highlighted leaders from both well-established European tech hubs and rising African innovation markets.
Among them was Arthur Mensch, who co-founded and now leads the French AI firm Mistral AI, and Alex Kendall, co-founder and CEO of UK-based Wayve, a company building AI-driven autonomous driving technology.
Other honourees included Kate Kallot of Kenya’s Amini; Marta Oliveira, co-founder and CEO of Germany’s ATOM Space; Diliara Lupenko, co-founder and COO of Spain’s Impress; and Daniel Metzler, co-founder and CEO of German aerospace firm Isar Aerospace.
Africa’s contribution to the list came through several rising figures in the continent’s digital economy: Nigerian innovators Oluwafemi Wale Ogunny, founder of FixnHost, and Efetobore Alexander Monedo, a Digital Product Manager at Wakaforme, were both named. Also recognised were Oluwaseyi Tolulope Fakunle, founder of Getcaresasure, and Pelonomi Moiloa, co-founder and CEO of South African AI company Lelapa AI.
Together, the honourees illustrate how interconnected the global tech industry has become, with founders and professionals from both continents shaping a digital landscape that increasingly ignores borders.
A Hub for Europe’s Startup Scene
The summit itself offered a fitting setting for the announcement. This year’s edition pulled together founders, venture and angel investors, corporate innovation teams, and policymakers, all focused on where entrepreneurship and technology are headed next. More than 70 companies took part in the accompanying exhibition.
A StepUp Startups Stage, backed by the European Commission’s digital strategy programme; gave founders additional space to connect with investors and other ecosystem players on topics like scaling and fundraising.
Set within Valletta’s historic core and overlooking the Grand Harbour, the Mediterranean Conference Centre hosted a programme that blended structured sessions with ample room for networking and business matchmaking.
Strengthening Africa-Europe Tech Ties
The framing of the recognition also points to deepening ties between Africa’s tech sector and European innovation circles. African startups have drawn growing international interest as founders build solutions in AI, fintech, edtech, healthcare, logistics, agriculture and other digitally driven fields.
By featuring African leaders alongside their European counterparts, the initiative frames innovation as a shared, cross-continental effort and signals room for deeper collaboration between the two regions.
The ten individuals recognised come from different companies, countries and technical backgrounds, but share a common thread: meaningful contributions to how digital technology is built and adopted today.
As Europe’s startup community continues expanding its global footprint, efforts that showcase talent from both continents may help raise the profile of African innovators while opening doors for partnerships, investment and knowledge-sharing across borders.
In that sense, the EU-Startups Summit 2025 functioned as more than a networking event, it became a space for broader conversations about the future of technology, entrepreneurship, and international cooperation.
