Kenyan Rugby legend Ian Minjire, 28, who lives in Germany makes it the the Forbes’ 30 under 30 list 2021. The Kenyan features for the SC 1880 Frankfurt on a sports scholarship made the cut in the finance category of the Forbes European list for 2021.
The US publication recognised Minjire alongside Melanie Keita, his co-founder at Melanin Kapital, an initiative that links African startups with European companies.
Minjire shared that he was on the path to building a financial empire when the news trickled in and he said it was the icing on the cake in this journey towards entrepreneurship.
“Feeling absolutely blessed, truly humbled and honoured to be part of Forbes 30 under 30 Europe 2021. The journey has been long and tough, but worth it!
“As an athlete, passion and talent are not enough if there is no food on the table at home. I have been lucky to get access to finance through scholarships and fundraising through mentors,” said Minjire to the Star Newspaper.
Minjire said he took advantage of the fact he was already in the middle of Frankfurt as a financial hub and he wanted to open his mind to the networks and ideas on sustainability and social enterprise. He also wanted something that would ensure he is giving back to his home country and Africa.
He added that as an engineer and social entrepreneur, the lack of support from an ecosystem has made it challenge for him and other African entrepreneurs to scale up businesses that transform the community.
As a Kenyan in Germany, he is grateful to represent is people, share knowledge of the struggle and build a bridge to Africa by harnessing the power of finance.