Alazar Solomon never imagined that his life would turn from a comfortable childhood in Addis Ababa to carrying the weight of his family’s survival on his young shoulders. But when tragedy struck and his parents lost everything, he found himself in a position no child should have to face. “I felt responsible to take care of my mother and two sisters,” he recalls.
He was still in school, but survival demanded action. He took on part-time jobs, balancing them with his studies, driven by a simple yet powerful determination—he could not afford to fail.
That drive eventually led him to start his own business. It wasn’t glamorous or high-tech; but a humble game zone in Addis Ababa. “I worked a couple of years,” he says, “then I decided to venture into tech.” This leap of faith led to his first startup, a B2B e-commerce platform, launched in late 2017. The startup, however, was short-lived, lasting just under a year. Failure at such an early stage might have discouraged many, but Alazar saw it as a stepping stone rather than a dead end.
“I remember the first question I was asked when I went to incorporate my first e-commerce startup at the city administration bureau in Ethiopia,” he recalls with a laugh. “They asked me what e-commerce was.” It was 2017, and while the world was moving towards digital commerce, Ethiopia was still catching up. That moment was an eye-opener—technology was evolving rapidly, but the gap in understanding and adoption was still significant.
A year after his e-commerce venture folded, he co-founded his most notable project yet: eBIDIR an Elite Fintech Solutions company with the ambitious goal of becoming the credit operating system for all African businesses.
Building eBIDIR: A Vision for Africa
What started as an idea has transformed into a force reshaping Ethiopia’s financial landscape. “We quickly gained traction, employing more than 40 individuals,” Alazar explains. The startup was born in Addis Ababa, but as they analyzed their trajectory, they realized the need to move their headquarters to Europe. “Our SME growth engine could morph into a startup of its own,” he notes.
eBIDIR’s mission is clear: to create an inclusive financial environment in Ethiopia and beyond. Through strategic partnerships with banks and microfinance institutions, the company has launched products designed to transform digital lending.
One of these is eBIDIR Asbeza, a Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) platform created in partnership with Purposeblack ETH and a partner bank. Another major project is eBIDIR Plus++, also known as Lewetatu, a non-collateralized digital lending platform developed for the National Youth Investment Network. Created in partnership with the Ethiopian Youth Federation, it aims to reach 1 million users in its first year.
For small and medium enterprises, eBIDIR Premium provides tailored lending and financial solutions, while eBIDIR Legeberew, still in development, is designed to push financial inclusivity even further. With over ten active partnerships in place, Alazar is proud of the team’s accomplishments. “We’re looking forward to being a force to be reckoned with in Africa in the coming five years,” he says confidently.
But success didn’t come without its challenges.
For every step forward, there was resistance. “Our society is usually skeptical of new products and services and resistant to disruptive tech,” he explains. Governments, in particular, only seem to embrace innovation once it has already proven successful. “Looking at success stories like M-Pesa, the situation is obviously not unique to Ethiopia,” he notes.
Another challenge? His age. “I am notably younger than most CEOs,” he admits. “Most people don’t feel confident partnering up with us. However, after they see how we conduct ourselves and the level of professionalism we have, we see them sigh in relief.” His resilience has taken him beyond Ethiopia, as he now works on an ambitious new venture in Europe.
BudEra: Shaping the Future of AI
While eBIDIR remains his most notable achievement, Alazar sees BudEra as his next big project. “It is set to be the business operating system of the future,” he explains. The startup, which has already secured a valuation north of $1 million, aims to eliminate the need for generic SaaS tools. “AI is set to disrupt the future as much as the Internet did,” he says. “I’m working on BudEra, a self-evolving AI business partner for SMEs that will replace segmented SaaS solutions for HR, finance, task management, and more.”
Alazar’s influence extends beyond entrepreneurship. As Executive Secretary of the COMESA Youth Advisory Panel and Chair of the Peace and Democratic Governance Committee, he is deeply involved in shaping the future of Africa. “I feel like we, as young people, should be committed to building a peaceful and prosperous continent,” he says. His work with these organizations reflects a broader vision—one that goes beyond business and focuses on lasting impact.
The Lesson That Kept Him Going
Through all his experiences—personal loss, failed startups, and breaking into industries resistant to change—Alazar has learned one crucial lesson: persistence. “At the beginning, things seem like they couldn’t get any worse, and quitting feels like the best option,” he reflects. “But truth be told, if you just give it a little more time, it’ll all work out for the best.”
But for Alazar, this is just the beginning. “I don’t see challenges as roadblocks; I see them as part of the process,” he says. His eyes are set on the future—one where African businesses have the financial tools to thrive, where AI transforms how companies operate, and where young entrepreneurs don’t have to fight for recognition.
If his past is any indication of what’s to come, Alazar Solomon isn’t just chasing success. He’s rewriting the rules for what’s possible
