Meet Ochieng Quinter, the founder behind Kenya's latest global tech success

When Chargebyte was named among the winners of the 2026 MWCapital Awards: Technologies for a Sustainable Future in Barcelona, it wasn't just another trophy for a startup.

The victory placed a Kenyan company alongside some of the world's leading technology innovators after emerging from a competition that attracted hundreds of entries from 62 countries.

At the centre of that story is Ochieng Quinter, the founder and CEO of Chargebyte, whose career has been built around one simple idea: technology should solve everyday problems before it chases global headlines.

From media to entrepreneurship

Quinter's path into technology wasn't conventional.

She studied Media Production at the University of Nairobi, later advancing her skills in Cinematography at Cinema Feast in Canada before pursuing a Micro MBA in Commerce at Strathmore University.

While her academic background pointed towards creative media, her career gradually shifted towards entrepreneurship, with a growing interest in using technology to address practical challenges affecting communities across Africa.

That combination of storytelling, business and innovation would later shape the company she is best known for today.

Building solutions for Africa's energy challenge

Long before Chargebyte gained international attention, Quinter had already identified a problem millions of Africans encounter every day - keeping their phones and devices powered in areas with unreliable electricity.

In 2020, she co-founded WeCharge, a company that introduced smart power bank rental stations in shopping malls, hospitals, restaurants and transport terminals across Kenya.

The idea was straightforward: make charging accessible wherever people needed it most.

Three years later, she expanded that vision by launching Chargebyte.

Unlike traditional charging stations, Chargebyte combines solar energy, battery storage, Internet of Things (IoT) technology and digital payments to provide charging infrastructure designed specifically for African markets.

Its solar-powered Share Stations allow users to charge devices, access Wi-Fi and make payments through platforms such as M-Pesa, while cloud-based monitoring enables the stations to be managed remotely.

The company says the technology was designed for environments where power interruptions are common, making it suitable for schools, markets, health facilities and off-grid communities.

Global recognition for a local idea

Chargebyte's latest milestone came at the 2026 MWCapital Awards, where it won the SMEs & Startups category after competing against organisations from 62 countries.

The competition, organized by Mobile World Capital Barcelona, recognizes technology projects that demonstrate measurable social and environmental impact.

Only 17 finalists were shortlisted across all categories, with six ultimately selected as winners.

For Chargebyte, the award also opens the door to international mentorship, access to global innovation networks and funding support to help scale its technology.

Growing beyond Kenya

Barcelona was not Chargebyte's first international breakthrough.

In 2024, the company received support from UNICEF and GIGA to deploy solar-powered charging stations in off-grid schools in Rwanda, helping improve digital access for learners.

The following year, Quinter was invited to speak at Tech Spirit Barcelona, an event organised by UNICEF, GIGA and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), where she shared the company's approach to building technology for underserved communities.

Those partnerships have helped position Chargebyte as one of a growing number of African startups attracting global attention for locally developed solutions.

Recognition beyond the startup

Quinter's work has also earned recognition from several entrepreneurship and innovation platforms over the years.

She has been recognized by the Female Founders Initiative supported by UN Women, featured among Forty Under 40 Africa, listed among the Top 100 Women in Tech Globally, and named among Africa's 100 Most Influential Pan-African Youth Leaders.

While the accolades span different organizations, they reflect the growing visibility of African entrepreneurs working at the intersection of technology, sustainability and social impact.

Away from business, she also founded Art for Change, a social initiative that uses creative arts to promote mental health awareness, youth empowerment and gender equality, extending her work beyond technology into community development.

What's in the future?

Following its success in Barcelona, Chargebyte is preparing for its next phase of growth, with plans to expand operations beyond Kenya into additional African markets while establishing local manufacturing capacity.

For Quinter, however, the award represents more than international recognition.

It signals growing confidence in technology designed and built on the continent to solve African challenges.

As governments, investors and development partners increasingly look to homegrown innovation to drive economic growth, entrepreneurs like Ochieng Quinter are helping reshape the conversation.

This shows that some of Kenya's biggest technology success stories are not simply adapting global ideas, but creating solutions the rest of the world is beginning to notice.