MLIKA – KENYA’S STARTUP ECOSYSTEM AGENDA

Testimonies have been given of how the Kenyan startup ecosystem is filled up with ‘Compepreneurs’ – (people who pretend to be entrepreneurs but instead are seasoned competitors jumping from one pitch fest to another just to get prize money awards!)

The ecosystem now reads from the same page and it has dawned to many that it’s time to get rid of this culture and focus on scaling startups.

So, how can we achieve this? That’s where Mlika comes in. Of what value is raising millions of money without a market to go to? It goes without saying that most Kenyan startups are stagnant because they are unable to enter into new markets and acquire new customers.

What does it take to do so? Many things come into play but we can all agree that there need be a pipeline for both foreign and local investors. Exposure to potential customers and partners is also key.

To demystify that ‘money wins’ Make- IT in Africa and partners through the Association of Startup and SMEs Enablers of Kenya (ASSEK) resulted in the formation of Mlika.

The initiative will identify Kenya’s most promising startups, unveil them during the Nairobi Innovation Week and shine significant light on them.

To promote participation by the ecosystem stakeholders, recognized startup ecosystems players and shape makers will nominate startups upon verification, to participate in the Mlika program.

The nominated startups will then be selected and due diligence done to identify the top startups. Select startups will be unveiled, exposed to the media and Kenyans. This move is to give the startups the desired publicity that would link them to customers, potential partners and investors.

The center of it all is shared value among the ecosystem players. What the program intends to achieve is to tell success stories of collaboration and working together to promote the Kenyan Startup Ecosystem.

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