Laurent Salehe Shilingi has over five years of experience in actuarial science and entrepreneurship. Currently an assistant lecturer and junior researcher at the University of Dar es Salaam, Laurent works on actuarial science and quantitative finance projects. Laurent is the co-founder and managing partner of Lasash Tanzania, an agribusiness initiative that aims to increase the income of small-scale farmers through modern agricultural techniques, the reduction of post-harvest loss, and micro-insurance research. Laurent holds a bachelor's degree in Actuarial Sciences from the University of Dar es Salaam, and a master's degree in Actuarial Science from B.S Abdur Rahman University. Upon completion of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, Laurent plans to return to his work at the University of Dar es Salaam and Lasash Tanzania, where he will focus on researching and designing insurance products for small-scale farmers and entrepreneurs.