Larry Ayo
Innovation and Product Professional
Arusha
Summary
Innovative and results-oriented professional with a passion for driving sustainable development through fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. Seeking to leverage expertise in strategic technical assistance and stakeholder engagement to catalyze growth within the startup ecosystem as the Innovation leader and growth partner.
Overview
5
5
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Director of Business Development
SmartLab Limited _ part of SAG
Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
08.2022 - Current
- Spearheaded strategic planning and implementation efforts to support startups and innovation enablers in Tanzania, collaborating closely with government agencies, enterprise support organizations (ESOs), Corporate entities and higher-learning institutions.
- Provided expert technical assistance and mentorship to Startups and entrepreneurs, facilitating sessions on market research, product development, financial management, and scaling strategies in partnership with relevant stakeholders.
- Designed and delivered capacity-building programs, workshops, and training sessions for startups and innovation enablers to enhance their skills and capabilities.
- Built and maintained relationships with ESOs to strengthen the quality and reach of business development services, while providing guidance on trends and best practices in supporting these organizations.
- Collaborated with higher-learning institutions to identify research and innovation opportunities with commercial potential, leading initiatives to support student entrepreneurship and facilitate partnerships between academia, industry, and startups.
- Spearheaded implementing programs, innovative strategies and Project plans that drive awareness, engagement and product adoption.(Vodacom Tanzania (Vodacom Digital Accelerator), Stanford Seed (Seed Spark Programmee) ,etc)
- Managed the entire sales cycle process including prospecting, lead generation, qualifying prospects, presenting solutions, negotiating terms and closing deals.
- Collaborated with Global partners and associations i.e. AFRILABS, GITEX Africa, GIZ,GSA, GIIG etc.. in identifying potential opportunities and areas of synergies in scaling service and impact within Tanzania and East Africa as whole with Joint programme's and resource mobilization
Hub Manager
SmartLab Limited _ part of SAG
Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
08.2022 - Current
- Established and managed an innovation hub dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship and innovation within the local community.
- Developed and implemented programs and initiatives to support startup growth, including incubation programs, accelerator cohorts, and networking events.
- Provided mentorship and guidance to startup founders, offering support in areas such as business planning, marketing strategy, and fundraising.
- Cultivated partnerships with local businesses, investors, and educational institutions to create opportunities for collaboration and resource-sharing.
- Managed day-to-day operations of the innovation hub, including budgeting, facilities management, and program coordination.
- Implemented monitoring and evaluation processes to assess the impact of programs and measure the success of startup ventures incubated at the hub.
- Managed hub operations and personnel, including recruiting, training, scheduling, and performance management.
- Monitored customer service levels to identify areas of improvement.
Director of Product Management
Digital Mobile Africa -DMA Ltd
Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
04.2020 - 08.2022
- Drove the product throughout the product lifecycle, gathering, prioritizing product/customer requirements, defining product vision, Roadmap creation, Backlog grooming and working closely with senior managers to deliver winning products
- Maintained close relationships with key customers, thought leaders and industry influencers to stay abreast of emerging market trends and applications.
- Handled oversight and collaboration through excellent documentation, organizational, analytical and communication.
- Optimized requirements, oversaw MVP testing and monitored performance to proactively check products market fit
- Champion with marketing team and functional management to achieve business and marketing strategy objectives, customer acquisition and retention.
- Steered and implemented positioning, messaging, sales collateral and training materials to achieve revenue targets of over 500,000$ worth of input orders.
- Guide recommendations to customers promoting brand effectiveness and product benefits.
- Planned and executed Climate Smart Agriculture projects.
- Handled development cycle of SAAS(Marketplace systems, Social Banking Platforms) products from prototyping testing iterations and integration of an MVP
- Partnered with implementing partners to create innovative strategies and implement Project plans that drive awareness, engagement and product adoption.(UNCDF, Gatsby Africa, MasterCard Foundation, Oxford Policy Management OPM, MasterCard farmer network MFN, World Food Program WFP, Tanzania Cotton Board TCB,etc)
- Win with team to forecast annual Margins based on sales and product profitability.
- Collaborated with international product teams i.e DSS - Ghana, IDS - Zimbabwe, SASA connect - South Africa, ClicWorld - Uganda in Developments align marketing strategy, messaging and tactics.
Director of Operations
Gwastan Groups of Company
Dar Es Salaam
01.2019 - 03.2020
- Directed and optimized operational activities for the subsidiaries of the group
- Oversaw all aspects of day-to-day operations, including project management, resource allocation, and team performance.
- Implemented efficient processes and workflows to streamline operations and maximize productivity, resulting in cost savings and improved delivery timelines.
- Led cross-functional teams in the successful execution of development projects, ensuring alignment with client requirements and quality standards.
- Collaborated with sales and marketing teams to identify market opportunities and develop strategies for business growth.
- Managed vendor relationships and procurement processes to ensure the timely acquisition of materials and services needed for project execution.
- Monitored key performance indicators (KPIs) and implemented performance improvement initiatives to drive operational excellence.
- Developed and maintained operational policies and procedures to ensure compliance with industry regulations and best practices.
- Attracted, coached and retained high-performance team members, enabling elevation of responsibility, span of control and performance.
Education
Aspire Business Growth Programme - Business Management
African Management Institute Spon. Stanford Seed
Stanford 10.2022
BSc With Honors in TXE - Textile Engineering
University of Dar Es Salaam
Tanzania06.2015
Skills
- Leadership in Innovation Ecosystem: Demonstrated ability to lead within the innovation ecosystem, driving strategic initiatives and fostering collaboration among stakeholders to achieve common goals
- Project Management: Proficient in planning, organizing, and executing projects to achieve specific goals, with a focus on resource allocation, timeline management, and stakeholder coordination
- Stakeholder Engagement: Excellent relationship-building and stakeholder management skills, with a proven ability to engage with diverse partners including private, public, and development sectors
- Understanding of Regulatory Frameworks: Strong comprehension of legal, regulatory, and policy frameworks affecting startups and innovation, enabling informed decision-making and compliance
- Resource Mobilization: Experience in project proposal writing and resource mobilization, with a track record of securing funding and partnerships to support innovative initiatives
- Communication Skills: Strong written and oral communication skills in both English and Swahili, facilitating effective collaboration and knowledge exchange within multicultural environments
Accomplishments
- CRAFT - SNV Project Advisor. Project Value USD 240,000 Scaling out of the DMA Ecosystem Value Chain Transformation (EVCT) model to address the information asymmetry between Jackma and its integrated 6,000 smallholder farmers engaged in the production of Sunflower in Chamwino and Bahi districts in Dodoma region and offtake of produce. Through the model, promoted the the use of VIDA local digital platform for opportunity to share Realtime information which will enable stakeholders to improve efficiency and seamless communications in their business relationship. In addition, result drove 90% improvement and adoption of VIDA platform, the digital channel coordinated delivery of agri inputs, financial products (credit facilities,crop index insurance), and reliable market information (price, quality, buyers, etc.) to both Jackma and farmers. This drove the companies revenue growth to 22% through services and subscriptions.
- GATSBY AFRICA Project Manager. Project Value USD 400,000 .Agro dealer digital transformation in agri inputs supply. Implementing of the Marketplace to enable the agrodealers to serve farmers digitally at lastmile. The Agrodealer Digital Transformation via a Marketplace platform to trade in their commodities that DMA facilitates as an aggregator on inputs after receiving bulk discounts on economies of scales orders placed. With this developed relationships with 110 new clients in the marketplace and typically exceeded acquisition goals by 40%.
- UNCDF Project Products Lead – Scaling up Digital Finance in Kigoma. Project Value USD 200,000
- Drive the implementation the Kigoma Joint Program on Agriculture: Scaling Up access to Finance in the Kigoma Region Phase 1 for 18 months and which scaled to scale up the project to 20,000 farmers after successful pilot of 6000 farmers. Key deliverables included SHF Access to Markets, Digital Savings, Digital Ordering and Digital Financial Services. Succeeded to onboard 45000 farmers in final phase of the project.
- SatF Project Consultant - Project Value $1,217,000 Enhancing agricultural production and productivity for smallholder farmers through financial inclusion to ensure food security and economic gain. I have accomplished developing Digital financial products that addressed the SHF communities in their VSLA groups that led them to become resilience and mitigate risks in their daily activities. Crop index insurance, Savings for inputs via bank through farmer digital wallets, credit history data and A digital savings App for VSLA Groups.
Certification
- Investment Readiness Program, GIZ Training - 2021 to date
- Aspire Business Growth Program, AMI & Stanford Seed Training - 2021
- Training in Products Operations by ProductPlan - 2021
- Behavioral Economics Training for Credits Products by Oxford Policy Management - 2021
- Product Life cycle Analysis Training - 2020
- Customer Value Proposition CVP Training - 2020
References
Available on Request
Timeline
Director of Business Development
SmartLab Limited _ part of SAG
08.2022 - Current
Hub Manager
SmartLab Limited _ part of SAG
08.2022 - Current
Director of Product Management
Digital Mobile Africa -DMA Ltd
04.2020 - 08.2022
Director of Operations
Gwastan Groups of Company
01.2019 - 03.2020
Aspire Business Growth Programme - Business Management
African Management Institute Spon. Stanford Seed
BSc With Honors in TXE - Textile Engineering
University of Dar Es Salaam
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