Pelkins Ajanoh

Pelkins is an entrepreneur and inventor. He was born in Limbe, Cameroon and graduated from high school with the highest score in the country in the Advanced Level. Afterwards, he immigrated to the US where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2018. In his junior year at MIT, Pelkins founded CassVita, a tech-enabled agribusiness that invented a novel technology for increasing the shelf-life of cassava – a highly nutritive but rapidly deteriorating tropical root vegetable – from 3 days to 18 months, effectively providing sustainable livelihoods to 500 farmers. Pelkins is an innovator at heart. In addition to founding CassVita, he developed several solutions for multinationals including Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, and General Motors, where he patented novel technologies for self-driving cars. His work has been recognized with multiple awards including Albert G. Hill Prize (at MIT), Suzanne Berger Award for Future Global Leaders (at MIT), Harvard Innovation Labs Social Impact Fellowship Fund, Harvard Social Impact and Change Initiative (Cheng Fellowship), the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans, as well as by multiple institutions including the New York Times, MIT School of Engineering, Harvard School of Engineering, and the European Union. Pelkins is currently pursuing a dual MS/MBA degree from Harvard School of Engineering and Harvard Business School.