Ezedin Kamil, a 21-year-old Ethiopian student and software developer, is the CEO of Hex Labs. Since his childhood in the rural village of Atat, Gurage Zone, he has shown an interest in electronics. His curiosity led to his first innovation – a security alarm made from an old cellphone – after his mother’s cafe was robbed. This invention garnered Ezedin local acclaim and won a citywide innovation competition. This success was followed by a national victory that granted him a laptop and a cash prize, encouraging him to create 37 more inventions and secure 13 patents.

Ezedin’s achievements extend to the international stage, earning him 2nd place in the Solve It Regional Innovation Competition organized by the US Embassy, Icog-Labs, and JICA. His invention, X-fire, a fire control system, ranked 6th out of 63 national projects. Media outlets like DW Germany, the BBC, and Ethiopian Television publicized his work.

His social media influence led him to win the Tana Award for Social Media for Good in 2019 and 2020, and he served as the Ethiopian brand ambassador for the African Innovation Week.

The COVID-19 pandemic inspired Ezedin to create four inventions aimed at reducing virus spread. After securing a 500,000 ETB grant, he established Icon Africa to commercialize his innovations. Currently, Ezedin studies software engineering in Istanbul, Turkey, and co-founded an internet company, Melekiya, in June 2022.