Birame N. Sock
- Francophone Africa
Meet Birame
Birame N. Sock is the founder of Kwely, a newly developed B2B wholesale sourcing marketplace for products made in Africa. Born in Senegal and raised in several African countries, including Niger, Birame was educated at the University of Miami in broadcasting and computer science. She is a tech visionary with over 20 years of experience as a technologist, entrepreneur and high-level executive with a key focus on digital media.
Early Milestones and Business Development
Birame started her entrepreneurship journey in the USA where she launched several successful digital businesses such as Musicphone, the first-ever music recognition solution launched in the United States and Canada, a mobile service that would later be known as Shazam worldwide.
Birame recently came back to Senegal, her country of origin, with the willingness to build Kwely, the first of its kind global B2B wholesale online marketplace for Africa. Kwely works closely with local suppliers, enabling them to deliver export-ready products that meet global standards.
I look forward to working with eTrade for Women to have positive impact and to incite positive change, as well as advocate for women in trade in Francophone Africa and all over the world.
Social Impact
Kwely aims at changing the game in the African wholesale sector by shedding the light on African-made products. Through the ‘Tekki program’, Kwely helps local brands improve on their packaging, their value proposition and use the right tools to compete on international markets.
The online platform helps African manufacturers grow their businesses by overcoming the many challenges they face and comply with the standards of international markets.
Recognition and Awards
Birame has served on multiple Boards including as an Independent Board Member of a public company (NASDAQ) which was valued at over $1B market cap. Birame had the opportunity to be intimately involved in the development of a digital media strategy for major entertainment brands such as American Idol, Elvis Presley and Muhammad Ali.
Birame won the Cartier Women’s Initiative Award for North America in 2010 and is involved in several companies and organizations as a Board Member.