[kictanet] Government extends financing for ICT incubation

Fri Jan 25 09:05:27 EAT 2013

Robert, just because that Bill Gates was a University drop out and he is a
Billionaire does not mean that we should not take our children to school.
There are also many drug dealers who are millionaires but am sure you will
not raise your kids to sell drugs!

For every one self-made success story, there are thousands of failures, and
hundreds of success stories who succeeded because they had a good idea and
got lucky to find someone to boost their enterprise with capital. In the
absence of a well developed venture capital industry, and knowing that
Kenyan Banks are happier giving loans to those holding payslips so that
they can buy sofa sets and take their girl friends on holidays, the ICT
board is getting this one right. Our SMEs need all the support that they
can get. They should do more of this and increase that support a hundred
fold.

Evans

On Thu, Jan 24, 2013 at 10:49 PM, Agosta Liko <agostal at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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
>> *
>> Our Quality Policy*: Kenya ICT Board is committed to consistently
>> deliver quality ICT services and manage projects that support the growth of
>> Information and Communication Technology, to satisfy the needs and
>> expectations of customers.
>> Kenya ICT Board shall comply with all requirements and continually
>> improve the effectiveness of the Quality Management System. Kenya ICT Board
>> leadership shall establish and review quality objectives in line with this
>> policy and ensure commitment of all employees.
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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,
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>
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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.
>

-- 
*----------------------------------------------------
Kind Regards,
Evans Ikua,*
lanetconsulting.com,
lpi-eastafrica.org,
ict-innovation.fossfa.net,
Skype: @ikuae
Cell: +254-722-955831
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