Ambassadors

Begashaw Meberate is a seasoned agricultural expert and purpose-driven agritech entrepreneur with over 15 years of progressive experience working across Ethiopia's government, private sector, and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Born and raised in the rural town of Enewari in the Moretena Jiru District of the Amhara Region, Begashaw has always been deeply connected to the challenges and potential of Ethiopia's agriculture sector.

He holds a Master of Science degree in Rural Development Management from Bahir Dar University, where his academic research focused on the adoption of teff row planting technologies. This experience profoundly shaped his entrepreneurial path. During this study, he witnessed firsthand the lack of access to modern mechanization services among rural farmers, which motivated him to take action.

With a vision to transform traditional farming practices and improve rural livelihoods, Begashaw founded Bfarm-Tech in 2019. Initially supported with seed capital from the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Bfarm-Tech is now a leading digital startup in Ethiopia focused on mechanization services, rural e-commerce, and climate-smart advisory. Under his leadership, Bfarm-Tech has served over 30,000 smallholder farmers, created more than 20 jobs, and developed a multilingual, user-friendly digital platform that links farmers, tractor operators, and input suppliers.

Begashaw is committed to digitizing agriculture and building scalable solutions that empower youth, women, and smallholder farmers. He is actively involved in various African innovation communities, including African Food Changemakers, and he was the first-place winner in the Ethiopian AgriTech Startups Pitch Competition. His goal is to build impactful, tech-enabled agribusinesses that create jobs, increase productivity, and drive inclusive economic development in Ethiopia and beyond.