Ropafadzo Sandra Shoko (StartUpBae)

Ropafadzo Sandra Shoko, widely known as StartUpBae, is a Zimbabwean legal, entrepreneurship, and innovation practitioner committed to advancing Africa’s industrialisation through the growth of start-ups. She works closely with young entrepreneurs and innovators, supporting them to transform ideas into viable and profitable business ventures. During her tenure at Elevate Trust Zimbabwe, Ropafadzo designed and implemented a year-long incubation programme, led efforts to institutionalise a national Youth and SME support framework focused on local product championing, enterprise development, and youth participation in the economy, and ran multiple pitch competitions and hackathons. She is currently co-creating programmes aimed at strengthening innovation hubs, with a particular focus on student entrepreneurship and building collaborative start-up ecosystems that bridge the gap between industry and academia. Her work has earned continental recognition, including being named one of the Top 100 Female Lawyers in Africa by Courtroom Mail in 2024 and selection as a 2025 Mandela Washington Fellow. Ropafadzo holds a Master of Laws from the University of Cape Town, where her thesis focused on developing an effective legal framework for SMEs under the AfCFTA. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Policy at the University of Oxford as an Oxford–Oak Zimbabwe Scholar, focusing on policies that unlock entrepreneurial potential and support inclusive economic growth across Africa. She is also an active Rotaractor and the founder of Mentor Me Please, a non-profit providing tailored mentorship to children in homes and orphanages, inspired by her journey as a Joshua Nkomo Scholar (2015) and Mandela Rhodes Foundation Scholar (2023). Ropafadzo is driven by a vision of an Africa where ideation, innovation, and enterprise are accessible to all.