Betelhem Dessie taught herself how to code, worked for the government as a tech developer and became the sole breadwinner for her family - all before she became a teenager. She is one of the youngest pioneers in the emerging Ethiopian technology scene and today is a partner and CEO in the training arm of Ethiopia's first Artificial Intelligence and robotics lab – iCog Anyone Can Code (ACC).

She has trained over 26,000 young people on how to code not just in Ethiopia but in countries as diverse as Japan and Sweden.  Betelhem’s interest in technology was sparked the year of her ninth birthday when she challenged herself to raise money for her birthday party. She ended up selling mobile digital services to customers who came in to her father’s electronics shop and raised USD90 in one day. It was the start of a 12-year journey that would see her leave her hometown and ultimately get her recognised as Ethiopia’s youngest web and mobile technologies developer.

Betelhem was fortunate enough to learn by breaking and making things as a child – and she wants Ethiopia’s youth to have the same opportunities she had to explore their curiosity. Although she is only 22, she’s been in business long enough to manage people who are older and more experienced than she is. She is deceptively calm and exudes a wisdom way beyond her years. Find out how she made it. Listen to her story here.