StartupKenya.org Launches

January 14, 2013 Editor 0

By Roger Gichuhi

How many Startups are in Kenya, what do they do, where are they based? We often hear buzz around certain startups in boot camps and whenever major events are held, but after that it becomes a pain tracking them down.

This is why I built Startup Kenya , where one can keep an eye of startups, accelerator programs, incubation centers and investors within the Silicon Savannah.

Startup Kenya initially started as a tool to bridge University students to the startup community and has now grown to  where larger groups can use it. For example, startups can use it to know who is around them and forge collaboration efforts. Investors visiting can know which startups are available, what they do and where they’re based. The larger community will be able to see some of the exciting communities in Silicon Savannah and be consumers of their services.

Startup Kenya is crowd sourced. Any startup, incubator, accelerator, co-working space or investor can list themselves. This is done by submitting details through a form on the site. The listing will be verified before appearing on the map.

Startup Kenya aims to foster a greater sense of community, and to facilitate networking amongst entrepreneurs. Opportunities to partner, collaborate are welcome.

Why I Do It

I have been in the Kenyan startup scene for the past four years.While most university students would prefer a Kshs. 30,000 a month internship at a big bank to an unpaid internship at a startup, I chose the latter. The move has paid off for me.  I currently work with the awesome team at Buni TV as  I prepare to graduate later this year from Strathmore University. Startups are a great place to nurture someone’s career as Kellie illustrates in advantages of working at a startup.

With the immense opportunities that Silicon Savannah has, I decided to return the favor by enabling other university students to benefit from the startup community. The idea for StartupKenya was born when I stumbled upon a map mapping Dutch startups and got the inspiration to map Silicon Savannah.

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Categories: mLab

Tags: community, Silicon Savannah, Startup Kenya, StartupKenya, university students