Inside Wimbart at 10: Jessica Hope on telling Africa’s tech stories
In this feature, Jessica Hope, founder of Wimbart shares her journey from journalism to building a PR company.
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Since its inception in 2016, public relations agency Wimbart has become a cornerstone of the African tech ecosystem, helping over 230 clients across 20 countries articulate their visions to a global audience.<br />
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As the PR company celebrates its tenth anniversary, we had a chat with Jessica Hope, the founder of Wimbart, to discuss the evolution of the African tech story, the challenges of building a business, and what the next decade holds for both her agency and the continent.<br />
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What was your first interaction with technology, and how did you transition into PR and go on to found Wimbart?<br />
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Other than obviously using a TV in the early days, my first interaction with technology was with a computer, probably during primary school. I remember we had one of the old BBC computers with a seven-inch floppy disk.<br />
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My first home computer was a second-hand one from my cousin. We had a ZX Spectrum, which was a computer game on a cassette tape. It had a keyboard with rubber buttons, which is how old it was. Even then, it felt kind of dated, but it was a time when people just didn’t have as much, so I felt really lucky to have this hand-me-down.<br />
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Also, I was into music technology. From a very young age, I had a Walkman, then a Discman, and I was really into MiniDiscs as well. I got on the iPod bandwagon really early, too. I’ve always spent money on music tech.<br />
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My first laptop was bought just before I went to university. I remember bringing it home, turning on the TV, and seeing the news. Those were my early interactions with technology.<br />
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Regarding how my journey transitioned into PR and the founding of Wimbart, I was a journalist for many years after university. I worked with Jason Njoku of iROKO on a magazine in Manchester, and when that folded, I went into PR.<br />
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I worked in a couple of agencies, then went in-house. I was Head of Press at the Jewish Museum in London. Njoku, whom I’d already known for a few years, was setting up iROKO and asked me to quit my museum job and join him as G...
