Uganda’s largest startup gathering is back once again and is bigger and better. The Kampala Innovation Week 2019 (KIW) is slated to run for the third time in October from the 16th to the 18th.
This year, the 3-day Kampala Innovation week 2019 will be graced by over 1000 visitors, 100+exhibitors, 20+ masterclasses, and Investor pitches. The gathering also aims to create an avenue where startup owners all over Uganda can meet and share new ideas, build partnerships and celebrate digital disruption.
The KIW19 aims to assemble all key players and stakeholders in the Startup Ecosystem to raise Uganda’s profile in the startup space, provide visibility to its startups, both locally & internationally and thereby attract investors and enable global partnerships.
The Kampala Innovation Week 2019 is organized by Startup Uganda, an association of Uganda’s Startup enablers and supported by the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF). Startup Uganda is an initiative spearheaded by key players in the Ugandan Startup Ecosystem who, with the support of the UN Capital Development Fund, aim to consolidate and connect the activities of all its stakeholders.
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The association currently consists of prominent hubs such as Design Hub Kampala, Outbox, Innovation Village, Tribe Kampala among others.
(Quote from a Startup Uganda member on what KIW will mean for the Startup Uganda Ecosystem)
Kampala Innovation Week seeing growing numbers
Kampala Innovation Week has grown from the just over 150 attendees in 2017 to more than double the attendance to 350 active participants in 2018.
Because of the support by UNCDF and various national & international partners (Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation, GSMA, International Trade Center, VC4Afrika, Seedstars, etc), the Kampala Innovation Week 2019 is set to break the threshold of 1000 attendees.
This target audience will consist of investors, ecosystem enablers, business owners and most prominently Kampala’s young, innovative crowd who are eager to learn from successful startups and quick to adopt already existing solutions for their personal and business needs.
Kampala innovation Week 2019 Theme
Under the theme ‘Showcase. Discover. Engage.’, a conducive space will be created to display the latest in Ugandan innovation from startups, private sector players and development partners. There will be access to and information on platforms and resources available to enable ecosystem players’ efforts.
There will also be pitch competitions where attendees will explore innovative solutions to various community challenges and enable those innovative solutions to find opportunities for investment.
With over 30 side sessions and masterclasses planned, there will be a chance to discover challenges in the ecosystem, find potential partners, customers, investors or investees, and engage with various thought leaders on how to take both your business and the Ugandan Startup Ecosystem to the next level.
How do I participate in Kampala Innovation Week 2019?
Entrance to the Kampala Innovation Week 2019 is free to encourage participation. Want to register? Head over to our website, www.kiw.ug and register today, to either attend, pitch or exhibit!
