Ground Up

In this episode of Ground Up, your hosts Ham Namakajjo and Fay Kakai from UEEI sit down with Norah Koigi Ngare, the Director of the Deal Flow Facility (DFF) at Financial Sector Deepening Uganda (FSD Uganda). Norah discusses the motivations for setting up the facility, how the facility will work, the target businesses, as well as the DFF's anticipated impact.

The DFF is a technical assistance and match making initiative set up to address the persistent gap in accessing growth capital for emerging businesses in Uganda. Established in 2021 in concert with the Capital Markets Authority and the European Union, the Deal Flow Facility is hosted and managed by FSD Uganda - www.fsduganda.or.ug/deal-flow-facility

In this episode of Ground Up, your host Fay Kakai from UEEI sits down with Jacob Hornbach from Bodawerk to talk about his entrepreneurial journey, as well as discuss the issues and lessons around sustainability and social responsibility in engineering and innovations.

Jacob Hornbach is the Co-Founder and CEO of Bodawerk - a Ugandan engineering and innovations company providing circular innovative energy solutions in the sectors on energy, transport, and agriculture. Bodawerk develops electronics, battery designs & battery powered applications with a focus on embedded systems / high power electronics and their IoT-integration (www.bodawerk.com).

In this episode of Ground Up, your hosts Ham Namakajjo and Fay Kakai from UEEI sit down with Amos Wekesa, founder and CEO of Great Lakes Safaris East Africa and Uganda Lodges. Amos shares insights from his entrepreneurial journey, the challenges he has overcome along the way, and speaks to the opportunities that exist for small and growing businesses in Uganda's tourism space today.

Visit Great Lakes Safaris, www.greatlakessafaris.com and catch Amos Wekesa on Twitter, @wekesa_amos

In this episode of Ground Up, your host Fay Kakai from UEEI sits down with Gerald Otim from Ensibuuko to talk about his entrepreneurial journey, as well as discuss the issues and lessons around raising capital for a startup.

Gerald Otim is the founder and CEO of Ensibuuko - a Ugandan Fintech providing digital solutions for people that save and access loans collectively (www.ensibuuko.com).

In this episode of Ground Up, Nelson Kituuka tells the story of his multiple hustles that eventually led to the formation of Card Pesa, a digital micro-lender that uses online and cellular platforms to provide small working capital and emergency loans to members. Nelson shares lessons from his entrepreneurial journey and discusses the financing challenges faced by Ugandan entrepreneurs today.

To find out more, visit www.cardpesa.com

In this episode of Ground Up, your host Fay Kakai from UEEI sits down with Joshua Agonya from the Avoda Institute of Entrepreneurship to talk about the challenges faced by early-stage entrepreneurs as well as early-stage Business Development Services (BDS) providers. Topics covered include financing early-stage businesses, the challenges with "grant-preneurship" (i.e. small businesses starting and surviving on small grants), training and the knowledge gap, as well as the importance of credibility for an early-stage business.

Joshua Agonya is the Content and Marketing Director at the Avoda Institute of Entrepreneurship - www.avodagroup.org

In this episode our Solution Panel host, Elton Mutize moderates the topic "Unleashing the power of the SME" with Solution Panel guests Doris Acheng, Damali Ssali, and John Walugembe. The panel debates and discusses themes like the role and significance of SMEs in economic development and the thematic challenges faced by the Ugandan SME in regard to financing, skilling, and the policy framework.

In this episode of Ground Up, your hosts Ham Namakajjo and Fay Kakai from UEEI sit down with Angie Kerubo from the Mastercard Foundation to talk about the foundation's Young Africa Works Strategy and its focus on women.

Angie Kerubo is a Program Partner (MSMEs) at Mastercard Foundation - www.mastercardfdn.org

In this episode of Ground Up, your hosts Ham Namakajjo and Fay Kakai from UEEI sit down with Charlyn Kentaro from Kentaro Handmade Organics to talk about her entrepreneurial journey, the natural hair care space in Uganda, her growth and financing story, as well as collaboration and partnership within the hair care industry in Uganda.

Charlyn is the founder and CEO of Kentaro Handmade Organics - a range of plant-based haircare, made in Uganda, by Ugandan women to help African women grow healthy thriving natural hair (www.kentaroorganics.com).

In Part Two of this two-part episode, your host Fay Kakai from UEEI sits down with Lucy Biteete from Laboremus (creating financial technology solutions for clients in East Africa and Europe) and Refactory (training the next generation of tech talents and experts in Uganda) to delve deeper into the issues around Human Resources and Capacity Development in Uganda, as well her experience with collaborations, partnerships, and success.

Lucy Biteete is a Strategic Advisor at Refactory (www.refactory.ug) as well as Head of Consulting at Laboremous Uganda (www.laboremus.ug).