Ethiopias startup scene is relatively new but its growing rapidly the country has a population of over 100 million people making it the secondmost populous country in africa the geography of the area is diverse with highlands lowlands and deserts historically ethiopia has been known for its coffee production but in recent years the country has been making strides in technology and innovation entrepreneurship in ethiopia has a long history with many small businesses operating in the informal sector however the formal startup scene is relatively new with the first tech hub opening in 2011 since then the scene has grown rapidly with new startups emerging in sectors such as fintech ecommerce and agritech some of the most successful startups in ethiopia include gebeya a platform that connects african tech talent with clients worldwide and ride a ridehailing app that operates in addis ababa the country is also home to several international companies including cocacola and heineken ethiopia is known for its rich cultural heritage including the ancient city of axum and the rockhewn churches of lalibela the country is also home to several universities including addis ababa university and the university of gondar the living wage in ethiopia is around 1200 birr per month approximately 30 and the unemployment rate is around 20 the citylevel gdp of addis ababa the capital city is around 13 billion despite the challenges of operating in a developing country ethiopias startup scene is thriving the government has made efforts to support entrepreneurship and there is a growing community of investors and mentors however there are still challenges to overcome including limited access to funding and a lack of infrastructure overall ethiopias startup scene has a lot of potential and it will be exciting to see how it develops in the coming years