[kictanet] ICT incubator - Expressions of interest

Wed Feb 9 17:20:15 EAT 2011

Strathmore University has in place  an ICT  incubation  program  called Strathmore Innovation Technology Transfer Program(SITT).SITT is an initiative within the Faculty of Information Technology (FIT) at Strathmore University focused on commercializing technologies from ICT laboratories in Kenyan universities and research institutions for high-tech economic development. The main goal of the program is to develop ICT innovations and to help with the commercialization of those innovations by introducing entrepreneurial skills to high-tech research efforts in line  with  the Vision  2030 of  ensuring development and  supporting entrepreneurship. Through this process the technologies and products will be transferred from the laboratory to the marketplace. The program is currently nurturing and mentoring  innovators  among them  a Nairobi-based mobile startup Xrystalgenius which  won the Base of the Pyramid award at the 2010 Mobile Monday Peer Awards that took place in Helsinki, Finland. SITT  has  so  far realized the  following :

Preview :      http://www.monitor.co.ug/Business/Technology/-/688612/1020076/-/a0tadgz/-/index.html.
                   http://www.nation.co.ke/News/Girls%20who%20created%20social%20network%20for%20farmers%20/-/1056/1085706/-/6c0qcjz/-/index.html
                   www.strathmore.edu/fit<http://www.strathmore.edu/fit>
Kind regards
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Pius  W  Walela, Research Programs Coordinator ,/Strathmore Innovations & Technology Transfer Centre,
Strathmore University  www.strathmore.edu
Ole Sangale, 59857 - 00200 Nairobi, Kenya
' + 254-020-600615 7 +254-020-6007498 *  pwalela at strathmore.edu<mailto:pwalela at strathmore.edu> þ http://www.strathmore.edu/fit/sitt-program
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

From: kictanet-bounces+pwalela=strathmore.edu at lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+pwalela=strathmore.edu at lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of John Kieti
Sent: Monday, February 07, 2011 4:19 PM
To: Pius Walela
Cc: Kictanet Mail list
Subject: Re: [kictanet] ICT incubator - Expressions of interest

Thanks McTim for good insights

I still think it is too early to conclude though. Consider the following :-

  1.  Strathmore - am not sure they have had time to graduate any incubatee as yet (any updates?)
  2.  NaiLab has not taken off as yet. Their space (on the 4th floor of Bishop Magua house?) is still an empty hall.
  3.  mLab (infoDev, iHub, UoN, Web Foundation, eMobilis) is still at infancy. Currently building out on the empty space on the 3rd flr of Bishop Magua House.
  4.  ictpark.com<http://ictpark.com/> (Any updates on some graduates will help)
  5.  KIRDI<http://www.kirdi.go.ke/Departments/TechnologyTransferExtensionServices/ICTIncubation.aspx> - (Any updates on some graduates will help)
Perhaps you mean that the above and other incubation programs are founded on wrong premises.  Otherwise am thinking we could do with a little more time before ruling out the option of increasing business incubation services for the ICT sector. Remember a while back we had Bwana PS chastise us on the need for youth to embrace entrepreneurship. Perhaps these incubation services are the required impetus to entrench the required entrepreneurship culture.

Best Regards

On Mon, Feb 7, 2011 at 3:43 PM, McTim <dogwallah at gmail.com<mailto:dogwallah at gmail.com>> wrote:
On Mon, Feb 7, 2011 at 2:56 PM, robert yawe <robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk<mailto:robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk>> wrote:
> McTim,
> You should have raised that issue over 4 months ago when the Kenya ICT Board
> invited interested parties to send a proposal for the development of ICT
> incubators.

I did point it out to the WB, rather too obliquely perhaps.

> Just like with chicken egg incubators you cannot have too many,
I think that is an empirical question.

every year
> our institutions of higher learning pour out thousands of graduates who need
> somewhere to develop their skills.  An incubator only hatches the chicks
> after that they are supposed to take in new eggs.  If the chicks are allowed
> to stay in the incubator then it purpose and objective are defeated.
> As had been indicated the funding was to come from the World Bank or some
> other donor.  What do you suggest that the KICT Board should do with those
> funds?

They would have to give it back if it came from a donor.  If it
didn't, it seems that some money needs to be spent to persuade  ISPs
to deploy IPv6, so maybe they could use it for dual stack CPE
software.  It would be quite a coup for kenyan coders to do this.

>  Can you please also furnish us with some of the ICT incubators in Kenya
Off the top of my head there is:
Strathmore
NaiLab
UoN/ihub/InfoDev/emobilis
ictpark.com<http://ictpark.com>
KIRDI

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Cheers,

McTim
"A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A
route indicates how we get there."  Jon Postel
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