The Baraza Media Lab has announced the commencement of its inaugural incubator program. The program, which officially kicked off on the 31st of Jan 2022, will incubate 3 individuals working on innovative projects in the media space.
This incubator program will run for a period of 12 months and will assist the cohort to implement their project and ideas. The program will include refining of project ideas, beta testing of their products and or services that address a real need in the community, develop a route to commercialization, give legal advice, and provide a grant to cushion the experimental phase, among others.
The media space is facing numerous challenges globally, from disrupted business models to information credibility and political interference. This has led to shrinking revenues, and COVID-19 exacerbated a situation that was already dire. New media start-ups are struggling to be viable because of declining funding and limited internal capacity. Often, formal media programs are not providing the right skills and support to help practitioners deliver high-quality, in-depth content.
The Baraza Media Lab saw a gap to offer more support to independent and innovative media in order to assist in overcoming these challenges. The Media Lab has committed to offer an experimental place for media startups, and has expressed its intention to collaborate with like-minded organizations.