My entrepreneurial journey has been shaped by a deep interest in solving meaningful problems through business. Through my experience in venture building, including my time as a Jasiri Fellow, I learned the importance of customer discovery, experimentation, and resilience.
While researching Ethiopia's transition away from single-use plastics, I became curious about the paper products replacing them. This led me to discover the country's reliance on imported paper and investigate whether local agricultural fibers could serve as an alternative raw material.
That exploration led me to start HANTICHO, a venture focused on transforming locally available agricultural fibers into sustainable paper products such as hangtags, business and wedding cards, and boutique packaging. My vision is to build a manufacturing company that creates value from Ethiopian resources while contributing to a more sustainable packaging ecosystem.