Please introduce yourself and tell us about Growwr
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My name is Obinna Umeh, and I am the Co-Founder and CEO of Growwr. Over the past four years, I have worked across growth, strategy, and product-led technology companies serving users in Africa, Europe, and North America. Before founding Growwr, I worked with companies including Breet, WPMU DEV, and Web2Ranker, helping drive user acquisition, content strategy, and business growth.
Growwr is a workforce infrastructure platform that helps businesses hire, manage, and pay talent globally. Today, the platform serves users and businesses across multiple countries. Interestingly, the name Growwr comes from the word 鈥済row鈥� with 鈥渨r鈥� added to it, reflecting our mission of helping people and businesses grow together.
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Where did the idea for Growwr first come from?听
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The idea came from my own experience. During my freelance career, I repeatedly lost opportunities simply because of where I lived. One of the most painful moments was losing a significant international contract after successfully completing the hiring process, only to discover there were limitations around payments and working across borders.
After speaking with many other professionals, I realised this was not an isolated experience. Businesses struggled to find and verify talent efficiently, while skilled professionals struggled to access opportunities and receive payments seamlessly. Those conversations eventually led to the idea for Growwr and the problem we set out to solve.
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What are the main challenges you face in your industry?
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One of the biggest challenges is trust. Businesses want confidence that they are hiring the right people, while talent wants confidence that opportunities are genuine and payments will be made on time.
Another challenge is access to growth capital. Building technology infrastructure requires significant investment, and fundraising can be particularly difficult for founders operating outside traditional venture ecosystems. Thankfully, we have recently secured backing from investors including Launch Africa, Microtraction, and LvlUp Ventures, which gives us additional resources to continue building.
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What are the pros and cons of being based outside of the main Northern Hemisphere tech hubs?
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One advantage is proximity to real-world problems. Many founders outside traditional tech hubs are building because they experience challenges firsthand, which often leads to practical and resilient solutions.
The downside is that access to investors, networks, partnerships, and visibility can sometimes be more difficult. Founders often have to work harder to earn the same level of attention or access. However, technology has made geography less important than it once was, and we鈥檙e seeing more globally successful companies emerge from regions that were previously overlooked.
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What excites you most about the future of tech in the MENA region?
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I had the opportunity to spend time in Morocco during GITEX Africa, and what stood out to me was the ambition and quality of founders building across the region. The MENA ecosystem is growing rapidly, supported by increasing investment, stronger infrastructure, and a new generation of entrepreneurs solving meaningful problems.
What excites me most is the region鈥檚 position as a bridge between Africa, Europe, and Asia. That creates unique opportunities for innovation, talent development, and cross-border collaboration. I believe some of the most important technology companies of the next decade will emerge from the region.
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You鈥檙e judging the MENA40. What are you hoping to see in entries this year?
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I鈥檓 hoping to see founders solving real problems in meaningful ways. The technology itself is important, but what matters most is whether a product genuinely improves outcomes for customers or communities.
I鈥檓 also interested in teams that demonstrate a deep understanding of the problem they鈥檙e solving. Strong execution, customer insight, and evidence of traction are often more important than ambitious claims.
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Any advice for tech companies based in the MENA region hoping to rank well in the 2026 competition?
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Focus on solving a real problem and understanding your customers deeply. Many founders spend too much time chasing trends and not enough time validating whether their solution creates value.
The strongest companies are usually those that can clearly explain the problem, demonstrate measurable impact, and show evidence that customers genuinely want what they are building. If you focus on that, recognition and growth tend to follow naturally.
