Africa’s first ever tech-incubator marks 14yrs as it eyes regional expansion

Africa’s Pioneering tech incubator- iHub, has taken a positive leap forward pushing for greater Pan-African collaboration in the African technology, creative, and entrepreneurship scene unveiling their new hub in Nairobi after marking 14 years of impact.

Their Nigerian parent company, Co-Creation Hub (CcHub) first entered the Kenyan market through the acquisition of iHub Nairobi in 2019, establishing the accelerator’s presence in four countries: Rwanda, Namibia, Nigeria, and Kenya.

“Since the very beginning, iHUB has been a place where ideas come to life and communities are built. Through the years, we have seen innovators, technologists, creatives, and entrepreneurs thrive here. As we move forward, our goal at CcHUB Group remains the same: to be Africa’s leading support system for creative and technology entrepreneurs, helping them create solutions to enhance African prosperity, while nurturing the community.” Said Ojoma Ochai, the Managing Director.

The company was founded in 2010 and has been at the forefront of accelerating Kenya’s startup economy. Among their key initiatives is Elimu,  their gamified ed-tech platform incorporating numeracy, literacy, and other skills as part of their broader strategy in using technology to improve the learning outcomes for learners and other stakeholders in the education sector.

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Since its inception, the incubator has invested over $10 million in startups across Africa from seed funding to Series A, pooling both their own and other partners’ resources. Locally and in partnership with The Mastercard Foundation, they are supporting 36 startups through their acceleration and post-acceleration program spanning a year while also investing $100,000 in non-dilutive capital into these firms. Their most recently concluded partnership was in collaboration with Safaricom, where they supported startups like Chaptr and Chumz through their Spark Accelerator program.

Beryl Oywer, the Country Lead for NABU and a beneficiary of the fellowship, recollects the experience being a transformative one offering opportunities for collaboration with fellow startups. “Direct linkages with strategic partners, increased visibility through participation in industry events and panel discussions have all been very vital to our success.”

Regionally, the accelerator also operates a Sub-Saharan ed-tech fund in which these startups get up to $250,000 and become part of a year-long venture studio helping them in their product development as well as establishing the right frameworks for their rollouts to the critical masses.

In line with strengthening its presence locally, the tech giant is eyeing to expand its footprint across Africa, soon expecting to launch a hub dubbed “Janta TechHub” a joint venture between the Togolese government and CcHub.

“It will be a CcHub managed hub – the hub belongs to the government of Togo, but we are going to set it up and run it for them,” Ochai the Managing Director of CcHUB said. The bold move underscores CcHub’s unwavering commitment to supporting the continent’s innovation and entrepreneurship sectors.

The organization’s next phase promises incredible strides in research, leveraging collaborations through coworking spaces, extended resources, and pan-African connections to accelerate innovation across industries, from fintech to education, health, the creative economy, and beyond.