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The character arc of Clarisse Iribagiza

A life drawn by Character Arc from the public record

Born 28 January 1988 in Rwanda. Between then and now sit a computer engineering degree in Kigali, a company founded in 2010 at twenty two during an incubation programme run with MIT, a national television contest won in 2012, the Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2015 and 2016, two million customers by 2019, an MBA and a doctorate. The line below draws the story so far, in order.

Tap the line to pluck it. Hover or tap any mark for its card. Drawn from the public record of her life; the sources are at the foot of the page.

Who is Clarisse Iribagiza?

She built the company before she graduated.

She took a bachelor's in computer engineering at the University of Rwanda's College of Science and Technology. While she was still an undergraduate, in 2010, she went through an incubation programme run with MIT and came out of it with a company: HeHe Limited. She was twenty two.

HeHe is mobile technology for a market most software is not written for. It gives local suppliers an online store for their goods, a way to keep track of what they hold, and digital payments from the people who buy from them. None of that existed for them before, which is the whole point. By 2019 it had two million customers.

In 2012 she won the first season of the East African entrepreneur television programme Inspire Africa, which is an unusual line on a technologist's record and says something about the country she was building in. Forbes put her on its 30 under 30 list in 2015 and again in 2016, and UNCTAD later named her one of seven eTrade for Women Advocates from the developing world. She went back to study twice more, taking an MBA at African Leadership University and a doctorate in innovation in global development at Arizona State. Her line is worth reading because she did not wait to be qualified before she started.

The moments

Clarisse Iribagiza's timeline.

The 2000s

~2009

Computer engineering in Kigali

Milestone, and it changed her direction. The training, taken at home rather than abroad.

The 2010s

~2010

HeHe, at twenty two

Milestone, and it changed everything. Still a student, and already running a company.

1 Jun 2010

Finish first, or start now

Crossroads, decided.

The paths laid out: start the company now, taken, or graduate, then decide. HeHe reached two million customers by 2019, and she went back for the MBA and the doctorate afterwards.

~2012

She won Inspire Africa

Milestone, and it changed her direction. A television contest, won in public, two years after founding the company.

~2015

Forbes 30 under 30

Milestone. Twice, which is harder than once.

~2019

Two million customers

Milestone, and it changed everything. Nine years from a student project to two million people using it.

The 2020s

~2021

An eTrade for Women Advocate

Milestone, and it changed her direction. Seven people, worldwide, asked to speak for women building online businesses.

~2022

An MBA, then a doctorate

Milestone, and it changed her direction. She went back to school twice, after the company was already working.

The line reaches today still adding to itself, which is why it is drawn now rather than at the end. What it has set moving is counted in shopkeepers: two million customers buying from suppliers who had no way to sell to them before she built one.

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Clarisse Iribagiza: frequently asked questions

What people ask about her line.

What is Clarisse Iribagiza's character arc?
A student who started a company before she had finished her degree. She founded the mobile technology company HeHe in 2010 at twenty two, during an incubation programme run with MIT, and by 2019 it had two million customers.
What were the turning points in Clarisse Iribagiza's life?
The incubation programme in 2010 that turned a computer engineering student into a founder. Winning Inspire Africa on television in 2012. Reaching two million customers by 2019, and going back for an MBA and a doctorate afterwards.
What is HeHe, the company Clarisse Iribagiza founded?
A Rwandan mobile technology company she started in 2010. It gives local suppliers an online store for their goods, a way to keep account of what they hold, and digital payments from their customers. By 2019 it had two million customers.
How old was Clarisse Iribagiza when she founded HeHe?
Twenty two, and still an undergraduate. She launched it in 2010 during an incubation programme run with MIT, while taking her computer engineering degree at the University of Rwanda's College of Science and Technology.
What has Clarisse Iribagiza been recognised for?
Forbes named her to its 30 under 30 list for 2015 and again for 2016. She won the first season of the East African television programme Inspire Africa in 2012, and UNCTAD named her one of seven eTrade for Women Advocates.
Where did Clarisse Iribagiza study?
At the University of Rwanda's College of Science and Technology, for a bachelor of science in computer engineering. She later took an MBA at African Leadership University and a doctorate in innovation in global development at Arizona State University.
Is Clarisse Iribagiza still building companies?
Yes. After HeHe she continued in technology and development work, and she is listed as an eTrade for Women Advocate. She also returned to study twice, taking both an MBA and a doctorate after the company was already working.
Where does this timeline of Clarisse Iribagiza's life come from?
From the public record. Character Arc drew every moment on this line from the sources listed at the foot of the page, and the kind and weight of each moment are our editorial reading. Clarisse Iribagiza isn't a Member of Character Arc and has no connection with it, and no feeling is attributed to her.

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Sources

  • Clarisse Iribagiza, English Wikipedia biography, filed under living people.
  • UNCTAD eTrade for Women Advocates register.
  • Forbes 30 under 30, 2015 and 2016 lists.