Some entrepreneurs start with an idea. Others start with a problem.

A challenge in their community. A barrier they personally experienced. A system that isn’t working the way it should. While industries, countries, and ventures may differ, entrepreneurs share a common instinct: they see opportunities where others see obstacles.

For many JA alumni, entrepreneurship became a way to create solutions that improve lives, strengthen communities, and address real-world challenges. The lessons they learned through JA helped them develop the confidence to think critically, lead teams, and approach problems with creativity and resilience.

Today, we’re spotlighting four entrepreneurs from South Africa, Brazil, Egypt, and Ghana who are using business as a force for solving problems and creating meaningful impact.

Mordecai Ndlovu (South Africa) 🇿🇦

For Mordecai, entrepreneurship began with a realization: opportunities are not always found, they are created.

Before participating in JA, Mordecai viewed business primarily as a way to earn a living. Through his experiences with JA, he developed a different perspective. Entrepreneurship became a tool for creating solutions, empowering communities, and building opportunities where they might not otherwise exist.

“I stopped waiting for opportunities to find me and realized I had the power to create them.”

That mindset continues to guide his work today.

As Innovation Lead at A1 ICT Trading, Mordecai focuses on using technology and innovation to solve practical challenges while helping businesses and individuals adapt to a rapidly changing world. Throughout his journey, he has learned that entrepreneurship is not about having all the answers from the beginning, it is about being willing to learn, adapt, and persist.

One of the most impactful lessons he gained through JA was learning to think beyond limitations and focus on possibilities. That shift helped him develop the confidence to pursue opportunities that once felt out of reach.

Today, Mordecai’s work reflects a commitment to innovation, leadership, and creating value for others. His story demonstrates how entrepreneurship can become a powerful tool for driving both personal and community transformation.

João Pedro Cunha (Brazil) 🇧🇷

For João, entrepreneurship became a way to make technology more inclusive.

Through his work as Founder and CEO of Todos Online Tecnologia, João is helping address challenges faced by people with disabilities, ensuring that more individuals can access digital opportunities and participate fully in an increasingly connected world.

His inspiration came from recognizing that many digital products and services are designed without considering the diverse needs of the people who use them.

“I wanted to create solutions for challenges faced by people with disabilities.”

Rather than accepting those barriers as inevitable, João saw an opportunity to build something better.

Through JA, he gained exposure to entrepreneurship, teamwork, and problem-solving, experiences that helped shape his approach as a founder. He learned that successful businesses often emerge from understanding people’s needs and developing solutions that create meaningful impact.

Today, João’s work serves as a reminder that innovation is most powerful when it makes opportunities more accessible and inclusive for everyone.

Hana Gohar (Egypt) 🇪🇬

For Hana, entrepreneurship has been defined by resilience.

Like many entrepreneurs, she quickly learned that success is rarely a straight path. Building something meaningful requires experimentation, adaptability, and the ability to keep moving forward when things don’t go according to plan.

One of the most valuable lessons she gained through both entrepreneurship and her JA experiences was learning how to view setbacks differently.

“I learned from failures.”

While simple, that lesson became foundational to her journey.

Today, Hana balances her work as a Teaching Assistant with her entrepreneurial ambitions, pursuing her startup "Filaxis", continuously applying the mindset of growth and learning that has guided her throughout her career. Rather than seeing failure as an endpoint, she views it as an opportunity to gather information, improve, and try again.

Her story highlights an important reality of entrepreneurship: solving problems often requires persistence long before solutions become visible.

Emmanuel Twum Osafo (Ghana) 🇬🇭

For Emmanuel, the problem was impossible to ignore.

As an economist and Data Analytics Engineer, Emmanuel spent years conducting research, surveys, and tracer studies. Along the way, he witnessed a challenge that affects organizations across Africa every day: critical decisions were being made without reliable data.

He saw NGOs struggle to recruit trustworthy survey respondents. He met a nurse who was asked to conduct surveys she had no time to complete. He even encountered a data analyst who fabricated an entire dataset because he could not find enough real respondents.

These experiences revealed a deeper issue.

“Africa is making critical decisions without reliable data.”

Rather than accepting this as the norm, Emmanuel decided to build a solution.

He founded IndaSurvey, previously known as OptimaData, a platform designed to connect businesses, NGOs, researchers, and AI developers with verified survey respondents and trained enumerators. By combining digital tools, verification systems, and AI-powered quality checks, the platform aims to make data collection faster, more reliable, and more trustworthy.

Building a two-sided marketplace while developing technology infrastructure across multiple countries has not been easy. Yet Emmanuel remained committed to his vision.

“I founded IndaSurvey to ensure Africa’s transformation is built on truth, not guesswork.”

Today, his goal extends far beyond launching a successful startup. He hopes to help build the data infrastructure that will support better decisions, stronger institutions, and more inclusive growth across Africa.

Solving Problems, Creating Impact

Mordecai, João, Hana, and Emmanuel operate in different industries and live in different parts of the world, yet they share a common belief: problems are opportunities waiting to be solved.

Whether improving accessibility, strengthening communities, embracing resilience, or building Africa’s data infrastructure, each of them chose to act rather than wait.

Their stories remind us that entrepreneurship is not simply about starting a business. It is about identifying challenges, developing solutions, and creating positive change for others.

Because of JA, they learned to solve problems.

And because they did, their communities, industries, and futures are stronger for it.