Just as everyone thought incubation hubs in Kenya and across Africa have failed as most of them close shop and others turn into serviced offices, Kenya’s Seven Seas Technologies Group is saying no.
SST is set to support talented local startups and entrepreneurs with its new Innovation Labs officially launching early next month; but the call for applications for both budding and existing health technology innovators is now open and closes 16th June this year.
“At SST we understand that taking the leap into entrepreneurship is scary. It is difficult to access the right tools, resources and training,” the Group announced. “SST solves big problems, and the first mile is often the hardest: lonely, precarious and littered with failure. We are therefore taking strides to tackle head-on the challenges that face Kenyan start-up culture: why most fail within their first year.”
Dubbed SST Kabla and SSTTakeoff, the Innovation Labs will cater for budding startup founders and existing health technology startups respectively.
“Kabla is designed to build founders first,” announced the firm. “We’re looking for the following kinds of applicants, who come in pre-idea, pre-team and pre-funding.”
As a talent incubator, Kabla is open to mid-career professionals with proven success in the health services space and a knack for leadership, technologists with systems engineering and program management expertise and entrepreneurs with proven startup experience in the Kenyan context.
Kabla will help the founders in idea validation, give them access to developers, designers, financial modelers and marketers, onsite and ready to work; as well give them support funding and a co-working space.
On the other hand, SSTakeoff is geared towards empowering existing startups working in the healthcare space but looking to leverage SST’s tech know-how, expertise and experience in business strategy.
“Once started, startups face the challenges of proving their concepts, scaling and growing. Lack of access to clients, suppliers, partners and advisory have crippled many,” SST announced adding that it would provide access to its diverse network of clients, suppliers and industry contacts.
At the SSTTakeoff, founders will leverage SST’s software development team, daily access to SST’s Innovation Team and weekly meetings with SST leadership, co-working facility with direct access to SST talent, introductions to SST partner networks locally and in all the markets its present, in both the public and private sector as well as seed or growth fund to fuel their businesses.
SST says it believes that ICT is key to achieving economic growth in Kenya, and it is imperative to increase the number of SMEs graduating the next level to bridge the missing middle dilemma. Stable and sustainable SMEs contribute significantly to rising employment and capital formation.
According to SST, it aims to do this through a SME scale-up strategy, in which it will train and support globally-oriented home-grown rising stars within the healthcare sector – SME Lions who are innovative, productive, and competitive. SST adds that it will be focusing on the development and incubation of businesses and products, as well as commercialization of output.
Ensure you apply at SST Kabla or SSTTakeoff.
