A seasoned serial entrepreneur with extensive experience in technology, he leads an incubator that helps young Congolese become successful tech entrepreneurs.

Jean-François (Max) Bonbhel (photo) is a Congolese entrepreneur. As the founder and CEO of Yekolab, he provides startup incubation services and supports young Congolese tech entrepreneurs.

Founded in 2014, Yekolab is both a startup incubator and a center of excellence for training in new technologies and emerging professions. By leveraging the power of ICT, it promotes innovation, entrepreneurship, and job creation in Congo and across Africa.

In addition to incubation, Yekolab selects and mentors promising tech entrepreneurs, enhancing their technical and managerial skills. The incubator also offers acceleration services to local and regional SMEs, focusing on technology to help them increase their market share and become leaders in their respective fields.

Max Bonbhel is also the founder and president of Africa Java User Groups, a coordination network for Java programming language user groups in Africa. Furthermore, he founded and leads JCertif International, an organization established in 2009 that provides free training materials and speakers, and fosters collaboration among technology user groups on the African continent.

Since 2011, Max Bonbhel has worked as a freelance technical writer for Oracle. He is also a co-founder and the CTO of Access EMI, a U.S.-based company established in 2014 that connects tech businesses with tech communities.

An alumnus of Evry Paris-Saclay University, where he studied from 2000 to 2002, Bonbhel worked for several years at Fujitsu Canada. From 2004 to 2014, he served as a Java consultant, trainer, and project manager.

Melchior Koba