Big Ideas, Small Infrastructure and Entrepreneurs waiting on miracles before they can innovate...

If you know Geofrey Mutabazi you know he’s the kind of founder whose energy fills every corner of a room the moment he walks in. With a contagious passion and an unshakable belief in his mission, he exudes a confidence that makes you feel his vision is already unfolding. His startup, Karaa Africa is more than just a business to him—it’s a movement, a way to transform lives and empower communities using mobility. His promise is to make an everyday bicycle electric, a game changer for underserved communities. Mobility can give people the freedom to move, to carry more, to go further, to access opportunities they’ve never had before. These bikes aren’t just products to Geoffrey; they’re a way to give people a sense of hope and possibility.

So, when he rode into a refugee settlement, he was filled with purpose. He imagined people stepping onto the bikes, feeling the smooth, electric hum as they rode off, maybe even smiling, feeling, if just for a moment, a sense of freedom. He had worked so hard to make this moment happen. But as soon as he arrived, his heart sank in reality.

There was no electricity.

In that moment, Geoffrey stared at his bike—this bike he had poured his energy, his dreams, and maybe his savings into. They were just silent frames, cold and still, sitting there in the very place where they were needed the most. He’d come here to bring something special, something that would change lives, but his big idea was halted by something as simple and essential as power. The one thing his bikes needed to actually work was missing. The one thing that was not his to build.

Through my work at The Village, I’ve seen countless versions of Geoffrey—founders with solutions that could change lives, ideas that could reshape entire communities. But again and again, they’re held back by forces beyond their control. They bring the ideas, the passion, and the resilience, yet the ecosystem around them isn’t equipped to support their ambitions. These founders aren’t waiting for more workshops or another grant; they’re waiting on something far more essential—a fundamental shift that would turn their visions into reality. And it’s a shift that no pitch deck review, investor-readiness bootcamp, conference, or training can deliver.

For Geoffrey, it’s power—electricity to keep his bikes moving and his mission alive. I’ve met EdTech entrepreneurs with brilliant platforms for digital learning, eager to bring engaging lessons to rural schools, with no stable internet connection. And then there’s the FinTech founder, dedicated to creating financial access for the unbanked but she’s tangled in policies that don’t accommodate digital finance.

In so many ways, these founders are already achieving the near-impossible. They’re creating value in environments where resources are scarce, where resilience isn’t a choice but a necessity. They’re determined, capable, and ready to bring real change—but they’re held back, waiting on the basics that would turn possibility into progress.

Ironically, even the innovation hubs designed to support them are struggling within the same ecosystem. The ones that are meant to be a haven for growth, a springboard for ideas find ourselves bound by the very limitations we are trying to help founders overcome.?

I look at Geoffrey and founders like him, and I see so much potential waiting to be unleashed—ideas with the power to uplift entire regions, solutions that are primed to scale. Yet, their progress is shackled by infrastructure gaps, unreliable connectivity, outdated policies, and capital frameworks that don’t meet their needs. These are the very basics that should support innovation, but without them, even the best ideas remain stalled. Until these essentials come together, entrepreneurs like Geoffrey are left waiting, their big ideas just one miracle away from transforming lives.

Geoffrey faces heartbreaking choices that painfully underscore the irony of wanting to help. He could narrow his focus to well-connected cities, where his bikes might succeed, but this means turning away from the communities that need them most. Or, he could take on the impossible task of solving the infrastructure gaps himself, turning his mobility vision into a mission for basic power. Or he can simply wait, putting his dream on hold and hoping for the day when infrastructure finally catches up.

Each choice is a harsh reminder: great ideas often fade, not from lack of passion or purpose, but because the basics they rely on simply aren’t there.

At The Village, we’ve seen this story too often. More training, another grant, conference, or a bootcamp isn’t enough when the foundations are missing. These founders don’t lack skills or vision; they lack the essentials that make growth possible. That’s why the support they need goes beyond business advice—it’s about building an ecosystem that can hold their dreams and help them thrive.

But there’s something extraordinary happening here. Geoffrey isn’t giving up; none of these founders are. Despite the gaps, they’ve already built solutions that could redefine what’s possible. Karaa’s bikes are ready, the education platform is built, the fintech app is coded. The power of their vision, their persistence, and their creativity are the very things that keep innovation alive in these environments. And if we can fill in the gaps, if we can give them the infrastructure they’re waiting on, there’s no limit to what they can achieve.

If we redefined what it means to support entrepreneurs, we’d go beyond funding to build real partnerships with government, the private sector, and local communities. Founders like Geoffrey wouldn’t just receive another business model training—they’d have access to the essential infrastructure their solutions depend on. If we recognized that infrastructure is more than just a utility but the foundation of innovation, investments in power, capital access, connectivity, and supportive policies would allow big ideas to flourish. With these steps, perhaps the boldest ideas would finally have the environment they need to grow and succeed.

As Geoffrey stands in that settlement, looking at his silent bikes, he understands that his journey may be longer and more challenging than he ever imagined. Yet he knows one undeniable truth: he’s built something that has the power to change lives. If he can adapt, and if the right infrastructure finally reaches the communities he set out to serve, Karaa can become so much more than a bike—it can be a bridge to new opportunities, a spark for real progress.

Geoffrey’s story isn’t his alone; it’s the story of countless entrepreneurs confronting unforeseen challenges that test their vision and resilience. It’s a story of possibility in the face of hard realities. For every Geoffrey out there, these obstacles are real and often painful, but they keep going, showing up every day, proving that resilience can turn limits into stepping stones.

For every entrepreneur waiting on the “miracles” of basic infrastructure and support, there is a path forward. Together, we can build an ecosystem where these miracles become the essentials every dream needs to thrive. And in doing so, we create a world where innovation doesn’t have to wait—where every big idea has the foundation it needs to take flight.