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Seven tech startups from Uasin Gichu County in Kenya have received Ksh. 1 million in funding through the Mozilla Mashinani tech-innovation challenge launched by Mozilla Africa Mradi and the Gladys Boss Foundation (GBF).
The announcement was made during a workshop for tech startups and students held in Eldoret. The startups will receive further training and guidance on how to improve their ideas and products.
The seven startups include Tindo, a video-on-demand platform targeting filmmakers from various communities in the region producing indigenous films, My Shule, an app for safe transportation of students to and from school through a live bus map, Mche, which offers advisory services to smallholder farmers on the best crops to grow in their respective areas, Mama Fua, a mobile application that links households to trained and vetted housekeepers, Lifeline, a quick access platform for critical medical information during emergencies, M-Rafiki, a platform for people to connect and interact while accessing services and businesses, and Gavo Foods, which manufactures gluten-free keto organic flours to support smallholder farmers and help break the cycle of poverty and lifestyle diseases.
The Mashinani Initiative seeks to democratize Kenya’s technology and innovation ecosystem, particularly for youth outside metropolitan cities.
The initiative is anchored on the Mozilla Africa Mradi, which aims to catalyze innovation by developing deeper relationships with in-region partners to understand African product needs and capacity gaps.
The Gladys Boss Foundation (GBF) is partnering with Mozilla’s Africa Mradi to ensure that tech innovators outside Nairobi and metropolitan counties have equal opportunities and platforms to showcase their innovations, and access training on startup accelerator opportunities available to them in the continent and globally.
Hon. Gladys Boss, Deputy Speaker of the Kenya National Assembly and GBF Founder, said, “The Mashinani Initiative is working towards creating a level playing field for all youth innovators across Kenya to establish and run profitable startups.”
Kenya is the regional ICT hub of East Africa, with over 300 tech start-ups, and a leader in broadband connectivity and general ICT infrastructure. With the rise of digital technology and the internet, many entrepreneurs have leveraged investment opportunities from venture capital institutions that have set up shop in Nairobi.
The Mashinani Initiative will culminate in the first-of-its-kind Mozilla Africa Mradi innovation challenge, which will be held in Nairobi in June 2023.
The innovation challenge will identify and support tech entrepreneurs/startups and tech students through an acceleration program that provides technical support, access to grants, and ultimately, market access for their products.
Alice Munyua, Senior Director at Mozilla Corporation, said, “Mozilla is expanding efforts to build with and not for African communities while promoting models of innovation that are empowering, inclusive and grounded in the unique needs of users in the African continent. Critical to this global majority program, is working with local partners to better understand the landscape, local needs, expertise, context, and capabilities, to co-create, while building a community with a critical mass of local partners that see Mozilla as a trusted partner and guide to a healthy and joyful internet”.
The Mashinani Initiative is working towards democratizing Kenya’s technology and innovation ecosystem, particularly for youth outside metropolitan cities. The initiative aims to provide equal opportunities for all youth innovators across Kenya to establish and run profitable startups.
Through the Mozilla Africa Mradi innovation challenge, tech entrepreneurs/startups and tech students will receive support to accelerate their products, access to grants and ultimately, market access for their products.
