Some of the entrepreneurs who took part in the 2014 Nailab Incubation Program
Entrepreneurship is one of the main ways to create employment and opportunities in Kenya and one of the industries best known for this, Kenya, is the tech industry. Hubs are coming up in almost all major towns with the major ones in Nairobi becoming platforms for the launch of major tech startups. Nailab stands out as one of the main hubs in the country and has incubated a lot of tech startups such as Gigwapi, Ghafla!, KejaHunt and many more.
What are some of the benefits of joining the Nailab incubation program? Let us look at some of them here.
1. Mentorship & Training
The two go hand in hand. With the likes of the Nailab CEO walking alongside all the startups giving them the much needed tough love from one entrepreneur to another, and alumni who have been in the program sharing their journey, mistakes, do and donts with the younger entreprenuers. Mentorship makes a great part of the Nailab’s success
Over the years, they have made great partnerships and connections with professional bodies who offer their professional expertise on how to put together different arms of a business that help in the smooth running of a business. The training ranges from legalities of registration and patents, accounts and book keeping, hiring of human resource, marketing and communication, growth and expansion tactics.
2. Shared facilities
The space offers entrepreneurs shared facilities that ease the development of solutions. This range from desks and table monitors, high speed wireless connection, administration services that are done by Nailab for the start ups, to a great food/ coffee and confentionary counter. The working space extends to the rooftop for those that love working outdoors
3. Co-creation and networking
Every week, entreprenuers meet to co-create, challenge and grow each other. This is known as Rackspace. This is the point where as entrepreneurs, you get to hear first hand from those who would be your very earliest adopters, fellow incubates and entreprenuers. They also have a weekly networking event, every Friday also known as refresh Friday, where alumni of the program and other entreprenuers enjoy a good game of chess or charades as they get to know each other
4. Access to industry players
Due to the partnerships and connections fostered over the years, Nailab has a pool of industry resources that would help in giving feedback or adopting some of the solutions developed in the incubator depending on the field/ vertical that an entrepreneur’s solution focuses on.
5. Funding
What every startup wants to hear is there is access to startup capital and this the Nailab offers. With the exchange of 10% equity in the business, and depending on how capital intensive the business is, startups can get funded anywhere from Ksh 300,000 to 1,000,000.
Interested? There is a call for applications and the deadline is November 21st. Apply now by following this link ~> nailab.co.ke/apply