[kictanet] Government extends financing for ICT incubation

Thu Jan 24 22:49:51 EAT 2013

I was not being sarcastic ...

I think this is a very good and positive step. Sam and his team at Nailab
will be able to shape the startup scene in the country.

With this development, I am sure something will happen to make it easier
for IT SMEs to access credit/finance within the next 2 years.

Ps: of the 30 startups, we just need 1-5 success stories ...

This is very good for our IT scene

On Thu, Jan 24, 2013 at 7:07 PM, robert yawe <robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

> @liko, your sarcasm is contagious, the chick that makes it is the one that
> hatches after it has been left in the bush to be incubated by the elements,
> those that hatch from the safety and warmth of the mother hen are and
> usually remain a clutch and over time develop into a brood .
>
> Any idea which incubator the following fellows where hatched from?
>
> 1.  Agosta Liko
> 2.  Bill Gates
> 3.  Kamal Budhabhatti
> 4.  Mark Zuckerberg
> 5.  John Waibochi
> 6.  *Sergey Brin
>
> Regards
>
> *
>
>
> Robert Yawe
> KAY System Technologies Ltd
> Phoenix House, 6th Floor
> P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
> Kenya
>
> Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696
>   ------------------------------
> *From:* Agosta Liko <agostal at gmail.com>
> *To:* robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk
> *Cc:* KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
> *Sent:* Thursday, 24 January 2013, 18:23
> *Subject:* Re: [kictanet] Government extends financing for ICT incubation
>
> Kudos to serikali for this one ... Mambo Grassroots !!!
>
>
> On Thu, Jan 24, 2013 at 3:25 PM, Phyllis Nyambura <pnyambura at ict.go.ke>wrote:
>
> Listers,
>
> The incubation model got fresh momentum today as the government, through
> the Kenya ICT Board, announced that it is putting money to support ICT
> SME's. The incubation facility will be hosted at Nailab and more than 30
> start-ups are expected to benefit for a period of 3 years.
>
> For more information see below:
>
> *Government extends $1.6M support for ICT start-up businesses*
> * **Pilot incubation program to tap into the robust ICT Enterprise by
> developing soft business skills and operational support*
> * **Nairobi, January 24th, 2013…*The Kenya ICT Board, has today launched
> a pilot of the first government supported ICT based incubation program
> worth $ 1.6 Million with funding from the International Development
> Association (IDA).
> The Information and Communication Technology business incubator pilot will
> be implemented by NaiLab and will work with at least 30 startups hosted at
> the incubator and another 100 virtually over a three-year-period in an
> effort to sustain the concept and create high impact enterprises aimed at
> growing Kenya’s economy and creating employment. Nailab, a partnership
> funded by *1% Club* and managed by NaiLab Ltd, won the contract to host
> the incubator, in a competitive process that saw more than 16 companies
> bidding.
> The program’s main goal will be to build a program, support infrastructure
> and outreach with successes being replicated in other parts of the country.
> “The growth of Kenya’s economy is pegged on how many profitable businesses
> we are able to build and sustain. This project displays the government
> commitment towards supporting SME’s and growing Kenya as an ICT
> destination,” says the PS, Ministry of Information and Communications, Dr
> Bitange Ndemo.
> The project is timely as Konza Technology City prepares to transform the
> ICT investment landscape in Kenya in the next three years. Innovation, a
> strong talent pool and entrepreneurship will be the cornerstone of the
> smart city success.
>  The incubation addresses many of the gaps that have been identified in
> SME high failure rate. These gaps include increasing the capabilities of
> the entrepreneur in terms of soft skills, technical skills and business
> skills, business counseling, access to affordable services and facilities,
> access to SME finance, better linkages with both the academic community and
> industry, and quicker commercialization of innovations.
> “This initiative is a public-private-partnership that builds on existing
> efforts in building an ICT ecosystem to support entrepreneurs towards
> turning ideas into scalable businesses. Such collaborations have proved to
> give great results,” said Kenya ICT Board CEO, Paul Kukubo.
> The incubation facility will have a mix of entrepreneurs in the concept,
> early and mature stages. The companies to be considered will be less than
> five-years old, offer ICT-oriented products and their offerings should have
> an impact on Kenya’s social-economic environment.
> “Our objective has been and will always be to stimulate innovations and
> encourage entrepreneurship in Kenya, with the signing of this contract with
> the Kenya ICT Board; we will be able to reach out to other parts of the
> country, all grass root problems cannot be solved using ICT, but innovation
> includes creating new more effective processes and we hope to play our role
> in that. “We want to make sure that those we will incubate double their
> turnover within three years,” said Sam Gichuru, the NaiLab, CEO
> The pilot project will also see Kenya ICT Board and Nailab establish
> collaborative relationship with relevant organizations and institutions to
> drive the ICT agenda in the country.
>
>  “It is important for entrepreneurs to have other value addition other
> than just capital such as industry knowledge and strong mentorship for
> their start-up. Establishing a facility to give support services will
> enable the entrepreneurs get clarity in various areas like target
> customers, approaches to reach them, infrastructure and how to run their
> business successfully,” says Mr. Andrew Lewela, Project Manager, BPO/ITes
> at the Kenya ICT Board.
> A business incubator avails young enterprises with an environment
> conducive to accelerate business ideas by availing work spaces, business
> coaching and mentorship. The Kenyan pilot model is looking at innovative
> ideas with business potential in ICT.
> “Our target has never been to have more “techies” /programmers sitting in
> the space but to have them interact with the farmers, health workers,
> teacher and matatu drivers and other relevant subsectors of the economy, we
> need to understand their problems so that we can design market driven
> solutions,” added Sam Gichuru.
> *
> *
> *About NaiLab*
> NaiLab is a startup accelerator is a partnership between 1% Club and
> Nailab ltd ,that offers a  three to 12 months entrepreneurship program
> with focus on growing innovative technology driven ideas, this is done by
> providing business advice, technical training and support, professional
> mentoring and coaching, access to market, strategic partnership and most
> important investors.
> The NaiLab focuses on early stage business ideas that are likely to have a
> large social and economic impact, are highly scalable, require minimum
> investments to prototype and have a strong value proposition.
> *About Kenya ICT Board*
> Established as a state corporation in 2007, the Kenya ICT Board’s has been
> a champion and an active enabler for the adoption and exploitation of ICT,
> through promotion of partnerships, investments and infrastructure growth
> for socio economic enrichment. This is in line with making Kenya African
> premier ICT hub by 2030.
> * *
>
> *Regards,*
> Phyllis Nyambura
> Communication Writer
> Kenya ICT Board
>
> Telposta Towers, 12th Floor, Kenyatta Ave
> P.O. Box 27150 - 00100 Nairobi, Kenya
> t: + 254-020-2211960/62 | m: + 254 (0) 789396433 | e: pnyambura at ict.go.ke
>
> Visit: www.ict.go.ke
> Become a fan: www.facebook.com/kenyaictboard
> Follow us on twitter: @kenyaICTboard
> ---------------------
> *Our Vision*: Kenya becomes a top 10 ICT hub
> *
> Our Mission*: To champion and actively enable Kenya to adopt and exploit
> ICT, through promotion of partnerships, investments and infrastructure
> growth for socio economic enrichment
> *
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> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>
> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
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