Training Centre in Communication(TCC Africa) once again hosted the Falling Walls Lab 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya. They were joined by contributing partners, Kenya Innovation Agency (KENIA), Viktoria Ventures and Melanin Kapital.
On 28th September 2022, more than fifteen shortlisted early career and interdisciplinary innovators who had answered the call to compete at the Falling Walls Lab Nairobi presented their ideas to a panel of judges and spectators. Training Centre in Communication(TCC Africa) was joined by contributing partners, 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 to make them investable and connect them to impact-driven capital.
Meet the Jury
Agnes Tsuma- Manager Innovation Commercialization at Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA)
Jason Musyoka- Angel Network manager of ViKtoria Business Angels Network at ViKtoria Ventures
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.
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/
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/
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