Challenge
The COVID-19 pandemic has had adverse effects on the development and growth of entrepreneurship ecosystems. In Kenya, enterprise support organizations (ESOs) provide support to startups, innovators and entrepreneurs, but without their hands-on trainings and in-person networking events, startup growth is impeded and investment in ventures is at risk. ASSEK aims to remedy this situation. We support them in boosting innovation enabler resilience during and after the pandemic.
Approach
The project starts with a needs’ assessment that guides design and implementation of a capacity-building programme to disseminate digital solutions and also share best practices. The next step is an online portal with courses, business tools and case studies that ESOs can access and use. A strategy for shared and harmonized data among ASSEK members helps in driving transparency, alignment, advocacy, and efficient service delivery.
Goal
The project aim is to enable ASSEK member organizations to deliver better services to entrepreneurs within their network. This in turn closes gaps on access to knowledge, investors, and markets. Increasing collaboration and shared data amongst ecosystem players, ASSEK nurtures a collaborative environment that favours upcoming entrepreneurial ventures and eventually builds resilience for the whole Kenyan innovation ecosystem.