Falling Walls Lab Comes to Nairobi

Training Centre in Communication will once again be hosting the Falling Walls Lab 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya. We are joined by consulting and fund management firm, ViKtoria Ventures, investment platform, Melanin Kapital, and the Kenya 🇰🇪 government through Kenya National Innovation Agency (KENIA) in supporting the innovators throughout their innovation cycle by making them investable and connecting them to impact-driven capital.

This year’s competition had over 40 applications from a pool of interdisciplinary innovators and early-career professionals by providing a stage for breakthrough ideas both globally and locally.

The global innovation competition will be held on 28th September at 10 am, live via https://www.facebook.com/tccafrica where the best innovator will be chosen.

Meet the Labsters! 

Who will represent #Kenya in the Falling Walls Conference in #Germany? #FallingWallsLab#Nairobi 

More about Falling Walls Lab

Falling Walls Lab is a world-class pitch competition, networking forum, and stepping stone that brings together a diverse and interdisciplinary pool of students and early-career professionals by providing a stage for breakthrough ideas both globally and locally. In three minutes each, participants are given the opportunity to present their solutions to some of the most pressing challenges of our time to peers, a high-caliber jury of experts from academia and business, and the general public. The jury determines the winner who qualifies for the global Finale in Berlin on 7 November and wins a ticket to attend the Falling Walls Science Summit, where the international Lab winners get to interact and network with the world’s movers and shakers of science, business, and policy-making.

Website: https://falling-walls.com/lab/

More about TCC Africa

The Training Centre in Communication (TCC Africa) is the first African-based Training Centre that teaches scientists effective communication skills. TCC’s mission is to contribute to the increase in profile, locally, and internationally, of African science, and its impact on the life of Africans, by improving skills in technical communication in all forms, in academia and other relevant forums, in the African Countries. TCC Africa’s objective is to Train. Support. Empower. researchers through capacity in improving their research output and visibility.

Website: https://www.tcc-africa.org/

More about the Investors

Melanin Kapital

Melanin Kapital is a global investment platform helping lenders globally to safely finance African SMEs that contribute to achieve the SDGs on the continent. Established in 2020 in both Germany and Kenya, Melanin Kapital collaborates with banks such as Absa Bank Kenya to support in particular women-led businesses and SMEs fighting against climate change. So far, more than 300 SMEs have been through the Melanin Kapital platform to request for asset financing or working capital loans. Through its partnership with GIZ, the African Guarantee Fund and USAID, Melanin Kapital seeks to build collaborations that aim at financing today the Africa We Want Tomorrow, one entrepreneur at a time.

Website: https://melaninkapital.com/about/

Viktoria Ventures

ViKtoria service offerings include Valuation, Deal Structuring, Fund Management, and Negotiation and Structuring of Transaction Agreements. Since 2011, the ViKtoria team has been actively supporting the growth of entrepreneurial ecosystems in various sectors in East Africa. With a firm focus on entrepreneurial finance, ViKtoria engagements have included;

Advising investors and providing portfolio management support

Providing consistent deal flow to the ViKtoria angel network (VBAN) members

Developing linkages to successful start-up ecosystems in other countries

Undertaking research and facilitating strategic planning for development organizations seeking to catalyze growth in entrepreneurship

Developing, resourcing, and management of incubation and acceleration programs

Website: https://www.viktoria.co.ke/

Kenya Innovation Agency (KENIA)

Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) was established by an act of parliament of 2013, as a semi-autonomous government agency under the Ministry of Education. The mission of the agency is ‘to develop and manage a dynamic national innovation system that facilitates taking ideas to the market’. The Vision is to be A key enabler of socio-economic development through innovation.

Working with partners, KeNIA strengthens interrelationships between actors in order to promote innovation and enterprise development out of research and ideas. From supporting the identification, recording and protection of innovative ideas to coordinating the establishment and implementation of appropriate policies, standards, processes, infrastructure, and partnerships to nurture the innovative ideas. The agency also works with partners to ensure appropriate prioritization, relevant capacity development, innovation recognition and publication of the same.

Website: https://www.innovationagency.go.ke/