Redefining Entrepreneurial Support: Its about Time for Mission-Driven Innovation...

While at university, it was party central for most of us. Mondays were for pretending to be good students, so we actually attended lectures. Tuesdays? A mandatory pilgrimage to Silk for Campus Night. Wednesdays belonged to Pa Lui, and Thursdays? Well, that was Guvnor’s domain. Fridays rolled in with a formal invitation to the weekend, and Saturday? The crowning jewel of our social week. And then, like clockwork, we did it all over again.

Yesterday, I found myself back at the University, this time not for party night but for pitch night.?I was at UNIPOD, a cutting-edge University Lab for Makerere University, set up by 联合国开发计划署 's timbuktoo Africa initiative. Instead of dancing, I was there to witness something truly inspiring. Fourteen engineering students were pitching their innovative business ideas as part of the Start Your Business (SYB) training by the International Labour Organization (ILO). It was a moment of revelation and pride.

Listening to the young minds was incredible.

The winning pitch was from a student who developed a CNC machine for research labs, universities, and light industrial use. Second place went to Bap Systems, showcasing a portable prototype for heating and cooling water. Another student focused on mitigating food wastage, and Fruity Boosts, aiming to commercialize her venture, received an invitation to MOTIV’s Kitchen Lab.

The entire philosophy of The Innovation Village revolves around what I have come to call "The 97 principle."

This principle ensures that competitions don't overshadow the brilliance of ideas, whether they're idea 10 or idea 14, which I won't delve into today. It's about celebrating and nurturing innovation in its entirety, recognizing that every idea has value and potential.

Overcoming Market Challenges...

The challenge ahead is incredibly difficult to solve because it is fundamentally a market systems issue. It reflects the complex dynamics of life. For example, Uganda is home to the second largest freshwater lake, the source of the longest freshwater river, and over 140 freshwater lakes. Yet, more than 23 million people, over half the population, lack access to safe drinking water. Similarly, Africa holds 60% of the world’s best solar resources, but it represents only 1% of global solar capacity, with just 16.3 gigawatts installed and only 1% of its solar potential utilized.

As you read this, there's over $1 billion in the market aimed at MSMEs, capacity building, and skilling in Uganda - alone. This significant investment indicates a strong commitment to fostering entrepreneurial growth. However, there is a remarkable opportunity to enhance the impact of these funds. While initial funding for early-stage ideas is available, there is a gap in follow-on funding, often referred to as the "missing middle." Addressing this gap can unlock the potential for many promising ventures that need support to scale and succeed.

The influx of philanthropic and donor capital is a testament to the belief in the potential of the entrepreneurs. By strategically aligning this capital to support higher-risk opportunities, we can cultivate the success stories of tomorrow—businesses that generate significant social impact, return on investment, and job creation. Entrepreneurs are eager to transition from charity-driven models to genuine, scalable business ventures.

Our work at The Innovation Village revolves around moving from discovery, through experimentation and learning, to distribution, where discoveries are widely adopted. Finally, democratization ensures everyone has access to critical innovations. That for those students to be able to see the light of day they need to be transitioned from this space – we call “Discovery”, into the “Distribution” phase where we deepen our focus on a reduced set of high potential and high traction enterprises to go deeper into unlocking their productivity and associated economic multipliers in partnership with key industry partners, and on building a robust base of micro and small enterprises to partner with them in production and distribution towards getting to market and growing market share faster.?

Towards Mission-Driven Innovation...

Entrepreneurial ecosystems don’t build themselves. They progress through stages: nascent, developing, emerging, sustaining, and declining. To create a sustainable ecosystem, we need mission-oriented policies addressing complex societal, economic, and environmental challenges. This requires collaboration between public and private organizations to achieve shared goals.?

For example, In a bold move to foster innovation and economic growth, Ursula von der Leyen, the newly elected President of the European Commission, has announced a groundbreaking initiative called The 28th regime. This initiative will allow companies to benefit from a simpler, harmonized set of rules in specific areas, creating a more unified and accessible business environment for startups and scaleups across Europe.

For instance, while FinTech companies in Uganda must navigate the individual country regulator or multiple regulators across markets they want to go in, The 28th regime aims to provide a uniform legal framework that transcends the 27 national regimes within the European Union. This approach will significantly reduce administrative burdens, enhance market access, encourage investment, and promote fair competition.

The 28th regime is more than just a policy proposal; it represents a vision for the future of European entrepreneurship. Do we have a vision for our ecosystem that goes beyond capacity building and skilling?

The Innovation Village Mission: The Africa SEED Initiative.

To further evolve our ecosystem, The Village will be embarking on a groundbreaking initiative we are calling The Africa SEED Initiative; Strengthening Ecosystems for Enterprise Development. This initiative builds on the successes and lessons from the past five years, especially my personal failures.

The dark side of entrepreneurship is not highlighted enough, if at all. In my journey, failure has been almost guaranteed, but the cause that calls me has always been bigger than the reasons not to pursue it. Trials revealed our strengths, and despite many detours, we remained focused on the destination: THE ENTREPRENEUR.

Most entrepreneurs aren’t happy. Being your own boss was supposed to “fix” everything, but often it leads to more stress, compounded by twin blows of runway and other challenges. I keep reminding them that progress should be measured backward against where you started, not against an ideal. We may not be exactly where we wanted to go, but we are certainly not where we started. In fact, if you look back, everything you have right now is exactly what you once prayed for, and often even more.

Our mission is to cultivate Entrepreneurial Citizens—individuals who are equipped to construct markets, produce economic value, and contribute to nation-building. The 21st century calls for each of us to embrace this role, and SEED is our commitment to making it a reality.

SEED is dedicated to fostering sustainable business creation by strengthening ecosystems and promoting collaboration among innovation stakeholders. It focuses on empowering early-stage ecosystem players and enterprises while enhancing the African impact funding infrastructure to create large-scale, decent job opportunities aiming to nurture and expand our ecosystem strategy city by city across the African continent.

Our strategy is built on three core missions:

1. Breaking Down Barriers and Creating Sustainable Markets
2. Expanding Innovation through Partnerships
3. Promoting Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth

In his groundbreaking book, Big Bets, Rajiv J. Shah President of the The Rockefeller Foundation emphasizes that

"Big" matters. If you aspire to solve significant problems, people will join you, often one by one. They will contribute more than expected and sometimes achieve unimaginable feats. The bigger your goals, the better your chances of attracting enough partners, allies, and supporters to address root causes and deliver large-scale change.

With this bolt of inspiration, our BIG BET is to revolutionize the landscape of entrepreneurial support, ushering in an era where mission-driven innovation transforms ideas into impactful, scalable enterprises that shape the future of Africa and beyond.

I am thrilled to invite YOU—whether you are an entrepreneur, thinker, investor, partner, government and institutions—to join us on this transformative journey. SEED is our chance to transition the African ecosystem from discovery to distribution, building a robust support network for sustainable economic growth and development - putting Entrepreneurs in the driving sit.

Together, we can create a future where innovation thrives and everyone has the chance to succeed. If you're passionate about shaping the future and want to learn more about the SEED initiative, please fill out this form. Let's collaborate to bring bold ideas to life and support the brightest talent among us.?

But for now, although the journey is long and uncertain, I am proud that today's students are? not spending Saturday night like I used to but are embracing opportunities far beyond what we had.?

I am grateful to everyone who has been and continue to be a source of support.?

May the Hustle be with you!