Metasebia Yoseph
Metasebia Yoseph | |
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| Born | Washington, D.C., United States |
| Alma mater | University of Maryland, College Park (BA, Art History, 2009) Georgetown University (MA, Communication, Culture and Technology, 2013) |
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| Known for |
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| Notable work | A Culture of Coffee (2013 publication) |
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Metasebia Yoseph is an Ethiopian-American author, and media entrepreneur. She is the founder of Addis Futures Lab, a cultural strategy and advisory platform, and Design Week Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s international design festival. Yoseph is also the co-founder of the media company D!NK TV and the author of A Culture of Coffee (2013). She received the Interledger Foundation’s Grant for the Web, awarded for projects in digital finance and media innovation.
Early life and education
[edit]Yoseph was born in Washington, D.C. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in art history from the University of Maryland in 2009 and a Master of Arts in communication, culture, and technology from Georgetown University in 2013.[1][2]
Entrepreneurship and career
[edit]Yoseph founded Design Week Addis Ababa in 2015, an international design festival that has included exhibitions, workshops, and collaborations with organizations such as the British Council and foreign embassies. In 2025, Yoseph transitioned leadership of the festival to a new team and continues to serve as an advisor.[3][1][4]
Between 2016 and 2018, she worked in the financial technology sector as Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Business Innovation Manager at Kifiya Financial Technology. During this period, she contributed to the development of MELA, a remittance service launched with Mastercard, and YeneGuzo, a transport payment system created with government partners.[5]
In 2018, Yoseph established Addis Futures Lab, a cultural strategy and advisory platform focused on innovation and market development in Africa. The Lab focuses on sectors related to Africa’s economic and cultural development, including media and entertainment, sustainable beauty, agri-processing, cultural intelligence, educational, and financial technology. Projects have included cultural heritage digitization in partnership with Google Arts & Culture and advisory work for development agencies and cultural institutions.[4]
She co-founded D!NK TV in 2022,[6] a youth-focused media company. Its reality series Latey: Looking for Love has been described as Ethiopia’s first dating show and received more than 600,000 views within two months of its premiere.[7][8]
Publications and media contributions
[edit]Yoseph is the author of A Culture of Coffee (2013), a book on the history and culture of coffee that is archived by the Library of Congress. A digital anniversary edition was released in 2022, incorporating blockchain technology for cultural preservation.[9][10][2]
Her articles and commentary have been published in outlets including The Guardian,[11] Quartz Africa, Nataal Media[12],[13] and Selamta Magazine.[14] She has also been profiled by BBC News and OkayAfrica in connection with her work in cultural innovation and digital media.[6][8]
Recognition
[edit]In 2015, Yoseph was included in TRUE Africa’s Top 100 Innovators list for contributions to Africa’s cultural and digital sectors.[15]
She later received the Interledger Foundation’s Grant for the Web, awarded for projects in digital finance and media innovation.[16]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Chutel, Lynsey (20 February 2019). "Design Week Addis Ababa wants to turn Ethiopia's growing economy into a creative one". qz.com. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ a b "Metasebia Yoseph's Transmedia Project: 'A Culture Of Coffee' at Tadias Magazine". Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ Peck, Patrice (2015-09-02). "Metasebia Yoseph Wants To Make Addis Ababa A Global Design Capital | OkayAfrica". www.okayafrica.com. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ a b Tewodros, Rebecca (2022-12-03). "Design Week's Roaring Comeback". www.thereporterethiopia.com. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ "Kifiya increases "Yene Guzo" service providers in Addis Ababa – New Business Ethiopia". Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ a b "Latey: Looking for Love - how Ethiopia's answer to The Bachelor sparked controversy". www.bbc.com. 2025-04-20. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ "አስር ሴቶች፣ አንድ ወንድ፡ በኢትዮጵያ አነጋጋሪ የሆነው የመተጫጨት የቴሌቪዥን ሾው 'ላጤ'". BBC News አማርኛ (in Amharic). 2025-04-21. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ a b Adhis, Paula (2025-03-06). "'Latey: Looking for Love' is the Hit Ethiopian Reality Dating Show With an Unexpected Feminist Twist | OkayAfrica". www.okayafrica.com. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ "Writer pours her heart into sharing Ethiopians' coffee-drinking custom". The Washington Post. 2012-12-07. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ Thomas, Langston (2022-05-17). "Monetizing IP in Web3: Building an Ecosystem Around Coffee and Literature". nft now. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ Yoseph, Metasebia (2015-06-29). "An insider's guide to Addis Ababa: Car crashes, coffee and contemporary art". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ "Ethiopia Skate". Nataal. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
- ^ "Addis Art". Nataal. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
- ^ "A Super Quick Guide to Addis Ababa". Selamta Magazine. Ethiopian Airlines. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
- ^ "Metasebia Yoseph: The Founder of Design Week Addis Ababa". TRUE Africa. 2 November 2015. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
- ^ Metasebia Yoseph (14 December 2021). "Digital Gojo Grant Report #1 (Draft)". Interledger Community. Retrieved 2025-03-04.