The National Commission on Research, Science and Technology (NCRST) has embarked on a project to fund the national Boost Up startup activities in collaboration with three Namibian ecosystem actors, namely Basecamp Business Incubator, GEN Namibia and NBII at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust).
National winners Tutaleni Ilonga, Rachel Lazarus and Tuyamba Akwaake, representing the Namibian ecosystem actors, were Namibia’s delegation to the Boost Up Scale-Up regional and pitching event at the (ASEB) 2023 Summit in Nairobi, Kenya.
Innovation and industrial research manager at NCRST Grant Balie said Boost Up is a three-part start-up support programme, organised by the Southern Africa Innovation Collective (SAIC) in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia. “Boost Up targets start-ups that use technology to solve a societal challenge, and are looking for skills that could help them to pitch their business and become more investment-ready.
The Boost Up series comprises Set Up (training events), Stand Up (pitching competition) and the Scale Up (incubation programme)”, Balie noted. Lazarus, who is behind the girls in STEM Namibia, said her experience in Nairobi has been an exhilarating journey.
“I have learned a lot throughout the Boost Up programme, and I have learned a lot from going to Nairobi. It was my very first time going out of the country, and I cannot fathom how amazing it has been to be part of that experience,” the 23-year-old told Youth Corner yesterday.
She added she is now confident when pitching how to expand her bbusiness, EduCab, to cross borders. EduCab is an affordable ridehailing app and a ride-sharing platform for students.
“I have realised the importance of collaboration in innovation. I think opportunities like these have empowered me, as a girl, and I am urging for more girls to be empowered in programmes such as the Boost Up,” said the first-year Nust student.
Ilonga stated that the Boost Up Kenya event was a very exciting event for him in terms of a network scale because these are the sort of events where one meets likeminded people to collaborate on promoting cultural exchange and unite two nations. “In terms of networking, I was very happy to have networked with the people there for future collaborations, so I will keep an eye out for that,” said the excited game designer.
He is the founder of TL Entertainment (TuraLife), a company that creates games and events around the gaming space. Ilonga also does consultancy for companies that wish to create their games. “I do part-time work for Edu- Game Namibia, a company I cofounded with three other partners, where we teach children how to create their games.
Participating at ASEB2023 last week, they gained peer learning, investor connections and prime visibility for Namibia’s burgeoning innovat i on ecosystem. As the SAIC focal point for Namibia, the NCRST coordinated Namibia’s national qualifying event, in collaboration with key ecosystem partners: Basecamp Business Incubator, GEN Namibia and the Namibia Business Innovation Institute at Nust.
-psiririka@nepc.com.na