Sign In

Zakaria Jaiathe

2x Tech Founder | ex-SAP (CTO Office) | ex-VC | Startup Advisor

Zakaria Jaiathe is a seasoned tech entrepreneur and investor currently serving as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Ananda Impact Ventures.14 Born in Morocco, he studied mathematics and computer science in France before working as a software engineer at SAP in Germany for over five years.1 In 2018, he joined the office of the SAP CTO and Hasso Plattner's team, focusing on global tech projects.1

In 2019, Jaiathe founded his first venture, Xibit, an Augmented Reality SaaS/Deeptech startup.1 He then launched Waanda in 2022, a B2B wholesale marketplace connecting African producers with European retailers.12 Waanda has grown to over 1000 users across 10 countries in just 1.5 years.2

At Ananda Impact Ventures, Jaiathe is involved in investing €500K to €3M in European startups with a focus on positive impact.1 He brings a rich tapestry of experience, combining his technical expertise with business acumen and a passion for driving social and economic change.2

Jaiathe is also a TEDx speaker and has experience as a VC investor.3 His entrepreneurial journey reflects his commitment to leveraging technology for positive impact, particularly in bridging the gap between African SME producers and European retailers.2

Highlights

Apr 24 · linkedin

I am officially a Hollywood actor 🎬 Maybe even an Oscar winner next year.

A few weeks ago, someone approached me on the street and asked if I would like to be featured in an upcoming Hollywood movie directed by Wes Anderson, who won an Oscar last year. I said yes, and I have just finished shooting at Babelsberg Studios over the past few days.

What an overwhelming experience! It was incredible to work with such a high-caliber director and a crew that has won several Oscars and other awards—from the costume designers to the cameramen, and even some celebrity actors.

Some key takeaways for me include:

  • Being extremely impressed by the meticulous attention to the tiniest details; even a single hair out of place by 1 mm mattered a great deal.
  • Being amazed by the hard work put in behind the scenes. I've heard about it a few times, but seeing people, starting with Wes, working from 6 AM until late at night, with almost only a 15-minute lunch break, was just insane.
  • Wes, in particular, has an extraordinarily powerful memory, remembering the names of nearly every single person and other details, which is quite impressive.
  • The industry is still entrenched in very old processes, which, while charming, also present huge opportunities for digitization and process efficiency.

This was certainly a super fun experience, and it's definitely a fun fact story I can share.

#hollywood #actor #oscar #wesanderson

Related Questions

What inspired Zakaria Jaiathe to transition from SAP to entrepreneurship?
How does Waanda differentiate itself from other B2B marketplaces?
What challenges did Zakaria face when launching Waanda?
How has Zakaria's background in technology influenced his approach to entrepreneurship?
What are Zakaria's future plans for expanding Waanda's reach?
Zakaria Jaiathe
Zakaria Jaiathe, photo 1
Zakaria Jaiathe, photo 2
Add to my network

Location

Berlin, Berlin, Germany