The Kampala Innovation Week 2020 (KIW) is set to run for the fourth time this November from the 26th to the 28th. This year, organized by Startup Uganda, an association of Uganda’s Startup enablers and supported by the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), it promises to be a higly interactive and innovative virtual experience. Startup Uganda currently consists of prominent hubs such as Design Hub Kampala, Outbox, Innovation Village, Response Innovation Lab, among others. It’s aim is to assemble all key players in the Startup Ecosystem to raise Uganda’s profile in the startup space, provide visibility to it’s entrepreneurs, and attract investors & global partnerships. Towards this vision, KIW will gather Uganda’s entire innovation community in an effort to discuss “ Recovery and Resilience with Innovation as a tool to help mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ecosystem. ”.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had various effects on businesses. Businesses have had to reframe their models, repurpose their workstreams, halt operations, or close to mention but a few. Going forward, the recovery and resilience of small and medium enterprises are critical in ensuring that lives and livelihoods are improved.” –Richard Zulu, Startup Uganda.

From humble beginnings in 2017 with just over 150 attendees, KIW more than doubled its attendance to 350 active participants in 2018, and thanks to supporting by UNCDF and various national & international partners (Ministry of foreign affairs, International Trade Center, Uganda Green enterprise finance Accelerator, Enabel in Uganda, Response Innovation Lab, Liquid telecom, Motiv), is set to break the threshold of 1000 attendees in 2020, with a virtual event that will see participants from all over the globe. The event will bring together various ecosystem enablers and thought leaders from all over the world such as Iyinoluwa Aboyeji and Tomi Davies
Under the theme ‘Recovery, Resilience and Innovation’, 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. Through pitch competitions, we will explore innovative solutions to many of the challenges brought about by COVID-19 and enable those innovative solutions to find opportunities for investment. With a number of keynotes and panel conversations planned, there will be a chance to discuss how to take Uganda’s innovation and startup ecosystem to the next level, 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 through an online platform called Whova.
Head over to our website, www.kiw.ug and register today, to participate or download the official event App at https://whova.com/portal/webapp/kamap_202010/ .
About Startup Uganda:
Startup Uganda is an association of 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 it’s stakeholders.
We catalyze developments in the sector through increased engagement, information exchange and more targeted communication. Our mission is to support the growth of the Ugandan Startup Ecosystem by maximizing its exposure to international investment & partnerships and telling the story of Ugandan Entrepreneurship to a global audience.
About United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)
UNCDF is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s 47 least developed countries. With its capital mandate and instruments, UNCDF offers “last mile” finance models that unlock public and private resources, especially at the domestic level, to reduce poverty and support local economic development.
UNCDF in Uganda is implementing a programme on developing Uganda’s digital economy as part of its new global strategy of “Leaving no one behind in the digital era”.  The Programme has a specific focus on empowering rural communities, smallholder farmers, agri-businesses and refugees – to lead productive and healthy lives, by expanding access and usage of digital services.
UNCDF’s support to “Startup Uganda” is part of its “inclusive innovation” pillar, and seeks to convene and engage the start-up ecosystem so as to foster support to start-ups and drive digital innovation in Uganda. This in turn will lead to more inclusive innovative business models and services to be tested and deployed at scale in various sectors [Agriculture, Education, Health, Energy, Finance], thus contributing to the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDG’s).