Pelkins Ajanoh is a scientist, inventor, and entrepreneur committed to building solutions that drive meaningful change. He is the founder and CEO of CassVita, a Series A company using proprietary technology to extend cassava’s shelf life from 3 days to 18 months, enabling smallholder farmers in Africa to increase their earnings by up to 400%. 

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A native of Cameroon and fluent in French, Pelkins graduated as the country’s top high school student before earning a degree in mechanical engineering from MIT and a joint MS/MBA from Harvard, where he graduated with honors. He holds three patents and was recently named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

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Outside work, Pelkins finds creative balance through music and stays active through soccer and tennis. He integrates mindfulness into his daily life and advocates for mental health awareness as a necessary pillar of high-performance leadership.