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Jessica Anuna is the 27-year-old founder and CEO of online fashion retailer Klasha, selling fashion to millennials in Africa. Klasha is backed by Techstars and Ginco Investments in Dubai and is based in Lagos with a team of six. They deliver in 1-5 days across Africa and sell affordable fashion under $100 with payments in all African currencies. Jessica is ex-Amazon, Net-a-porter and Shopify and has lived and worked in Shanghai, Dubai, Paris and London.

 

 

 

My first job ever was… aged 16, working on the weekends in a retail store in London.

I decided to be an entrepreneur because… I wanted freedom and to create value where I felt there was a gap.

My proudest accomplishment is… accomplishing every single goal I set for myself to do in my 20’s.

My boldest move to date was… moving to China aged 22 to start a business.

I surprise people when I tell them… the plans I have for my team and our business on the continent. 

My best advice to people starting out in business is… move fast, build traction as quickly as possible and focus on hiring a great team.

My best advice from a mentor was… hire people smarter than you.

I would tell my 16-year-old self… learn how to code.

 

“Move fast, build traction as quickly as possible and focus on hiring a great team.”

 

My biggest setback was… the difficult cross-border trade policies when moving goods across Africa.

I overcame it by… tackling each country one-by-one and partnering with companies smarter than we were.

The best thing about being an entrepreneur is… creating the value and the difference you want to see.

If I had an extra hour in the day, I would... meditate more.

The one thing I wish I knew when starting Klasha is… how quickly the market can change in Africa, Nigeria specifically.

I stay inspired by… the youth of Africa.

The future excites me because… Africa is undergoing modernization, industrialization and digitization, the heights we can reach as a continent are limitless.

My next step is… expanding Klasha to Francophone Africa.