This archive report was first published on 27 December 2019.
From Taiwan to US to Kenya with tech ¶
December 27, 2019
Audrey Cheng, 26, is a perfect trifecta of passion, grit, and humility. She is the CEO and founder of Moringa School, a multi-disciplinary coding school in Kenya.
After graduating with a degree in journalism and global health from Northwestern University in Chicago, Audrey's heart remained close to education and technology. Her journey to Kenya began in 2014, when she worked for Savannah Fund, a firm that invested in start-up companies in Africa.
However, Audrey soon discovered that the companies she was working with were outsourcing their tech work from India, leaving Kenyans without jobs. This sparked her determination to find the root cause of the skills gap problem in the country.
At just 21, Audrey decided to start a school that offered the necessary technical and professional training required in the current digital economy. She went back to America, worked for a company in Silicon Valley, and saved enough money to run Moringa School.
Since its inception in April 2014, Moringa School has been bootstrapped, with Audrey never paying herself a salary for the first two years. The school has been able to transform how programming is taught in the country from a theoretical way to a more hands-on approach.
Today, the school has a job placement rate of 89 per cent for students who go through its programme. Audrey's journey is a testament to her resilience, focus, and grit, and she urges young entrepreneurs to be prepared for the challenges of starting a company.
