From East Africa, and back again.
My story — and the journey that ultimately
brought Grapevine back home.
Roots in East Africa
My story begins in East Africa, where conflict and instability forced my family to leave the continent while I was still young.
The United States provided refuge and an outlet for my aspirations, but Africa remained an important part of my identity — and ultimately, the place I hoped to bring those dreams back to.
Opportunity through technology
A full scholarship to study Computer Science at Northeastern University opened the door to an education that changed the direction of my life.
More importantly, it introduced me to an idea that has shaped everything since: technology can give people the ability to create opportunity for themselves.
Bringing knowledge back
After university, I returned to Eritrea for a year of volunteer service, working with the national news organization and youth programs just as internet access was beginning to reach the country.
I taught young people basic computer skills and helped journalists and staff research stories online — on computers donated from the United States through the efforts of young Eritreans abroad.
It was an early lesson in what becomes possible when access, knowledge and initiative come together.
Grapevine begins out of necessity
I returned to the United States just a month before September 2001 — and before the world and its economy would take a sharp turn.
Unable to find the kind of work or income my university degree had promised, I began creating my own opportunities.
With the self resilience I learned in Eritrea, I started repairing computers and supporting local homes and businesses.
Grapevine wasn't born from a business plan. It was born from necessity — and the belief that when opportunity isn't available, sometimes you have to create it.
From technology to growth
Computer support became websites. Websites became marketing. Marketing grew into automation and software.
Along the way, I learned that our best work wasn't really about building better technology or better marketing.
It was about building better partnerships — giving people the tools, knowledge and confidence to create more for themselves.
Opportunity creates opportunity
Today, Grapevine brings together a team across America, Asia and now Africa, capable of serving the needs of our clients and partners anywhere in the world.
What began as my effort to create opportunity for myself has grown into a company capable of creating opportunity for others.
Our roots, replanted in Africa
Our first African office in Kigali represents more than expansion. For me, it represents a return — and a commitment to building alongside people and organizations who believe Africa's next generation deserves to build globally competitive lives from Africa.
A young person in Kigali, Bujumbura, Kampala — or anywhere across the continent — can participate in the global economy without first having to leave home.
Not simply a job. Not simply training. Agency — the ability to create opportunity, determine your own future, and strengthen the community around you.
I had to leave to find opportunity — the next generation won't have to!
