Opening a restaurant is a dream that many people share, but only a few are able to turn it into a successful reality. The restaurant industry is known for being...
Not every entrepreneur faces the same barriers. While some struggle to access financing, others—like Ian Clarke—have found ways to navigate the system and unlock new opportunities. After stepping away from...
For three decades, the mobile phone has been an evolving cornerstone of Uganda’s landscape, consistently defying obsolescence. Far from being a mere communication device, it has seamlessly integrated into the…
Diana Nabukenya Adeyemi, Co-founder and CEO of Richland Foods Ltd, is the trailblazing entrepreneur behind the Yo ‘Nyama brand — a fast-growing network of halal butchery kitchens in Uganda. Her...
In August 2020, Carina Juilfs founded Moho Home, a furniture startup bringing modern furniture to Ugandan sitting rooms and office spaces. Just like any business owner, she needed to hire some employees. Typically, she would advertise, sift through the applications and then zero down on some candidates to conduct in-person interviews before deciding on the best fit. To say it mildly, this process is time-consuming and costs significant resources. But then, Carina found another way, the Flip Africa way. “Flip Africa has a wide database of talent ranging from junior to senior employees. When I need to hire one, I…
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Startups raise funding for various reasons that are essential for their growth and success. Firstly, funding provides the necessary capital to support and accelerate the growth of startups. It enables them to invest in expanding their operations, hiring talented individuals, and scaling their business. By securing funding, startups can seize opportunities, penetrate new markets, and establish a competitive edge in their industry. Additionally, funding plays a crucial role in product development, allowing startups to invest in research and development, prototype creation, testing, and launching their offerings. This financial support empowers startups to bring their innovative ideas to life and deliver…
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The story of Yunga is personal to Anatoli Kirigwajjo. Anatoli comes from Kyotera, a district close to the Uganda-Tanzania border. Like so many other Ugandans, he made the trip there to celebrate Christmas leaving his house in Nsambya unattended to. As fate would have it, thieves broke into it. “I was enjoying my well-deserved holiday with family when my neighbour called. He told me my house had been swept clean.” Anatoli tells me in a sombre mood. “I froze for a while, and everyone was sad for me. But I kept on asking myself what I would have done to…
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Daniel Mukisa started Ridelink in 2017 with one simple mission: to become an online DHL but focused on small businesses. In this mission, he wanted to “turbo-charge cargo delivery for small businesses at unbeatable prices.” Six years later, on the second try, his startup has now been accepted into the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund. The Google Black Founders Fund is one of Africa’s premier equity-free programs. Google launched the program in a bid to tackle the inequality in venture capital funding and it is entering its third year of supporting Black founders. This year, the chosen startups will…
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In the second edition of The Investor’s Digest Series, we had the opportunity to speak with Hannes Van den Eeckhout, the Founder & Director and Faridah Nalunkuuma, the Talent Manager at Rootical, a venture studio focusing on regenerative agriculture and food systems in Uganda. Regenerative agriculture is a holistic approach to farming and land management that aims to restore and improve soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience while promoting natural and profitable farming practices. Rootical stands out from traditional incubators and accelerators by building businesses from scratch and empowering Ugandan entrepreneurs to own and drive their regenerative agri-food ventures. By…
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Visa, a global leader in digital payments, has unveiled the Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator program, a new initiative aimed at supporting and empowering Africa’s burgeoning fintech start-up community. The program will provide training, connections, technology, and investment opportunities for up to 40 fintechs annually, fostering their growth and contribution to Africa’s digital transformation. The Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator program, introduced by Visa Executive Chairman Alfred F. Kelly Jr. at the Bloomberg New Economy Gateway Africa event in Marrakech, Morocco, seeks to address the unique challenges faced by African fintechs and promote their expansion. The program will consist of a three-month…
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In startups, the “growth at all costs” mindset refers to a strategy where startups prioritize rapid growth and market domination above all else, often disregarding profitability, long-term sustainability, or ethical considerations. This approach typically involves aggressive tactics such as massive user acquisition, heavy spending on marketing and advertising, and focusing on scaling operations as quickly as possible. The hope is that, after a significant number of years and investment, the startup will slow down and focus on profitability leveraging its almost monopolistic market share. This is made possible by raising large chunks of external funding from investors. The roots of…
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Over the past few months, one question that I have answered over and over again, is what is a startup? What exactly differentiates a startup from a Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)? What makes a startup different from a small business per se? At CEO East Africa, we set out to explain this to anyone who may not be familiar with the concept. But defining what a startup is, is not a straightforward task. There is no universally accepted definition of what a startup is. But there are some common characteristics in multiple definitions. Today, in the simplest of…
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Ugandan startup, Yunga Technologies, has made it to the finals of the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation organized by the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK. Yunga is now in line to take home £25,000 (about shs 120 million) in equity-free money. The startup will face off with three other African startups. As a finalist, Yunga is assured of winning £10,000 (shs 47 million). .Yunga is a startup that builds a Yaka-like device that connects neighbours to neighbours and neighbours to law enforcement in real-time without requiring the internet. Neighbourhoods are organized into groups or Yunga networks, and each…
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CEO East Africa is thrilled to announce the launch of a groundbreaking series of articles titled “The Investors’ Digest,” which aims to shed light on the investors that are backing Ugandan startups. In this inaugural edition, we had the exclusive opportunity to speak with Petra Wolkenstein, the General Partner of Startup Wise Guys (SWG) Africa. With its headquarters based in Vienna, Austria, SWG has garnered a commendable reputation as one of the first investors in African startups. SWG’s commitment to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship across the African continent is evident in its extensive portfolio, which spans Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania,…
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