Nailab is one of Kenya’s leading tech incubation hubs, started in 2010, and has seen a number of startups graduate from the hub each year. It aims to lower the entry barriers for ICT entrepreneurs who want to start and scale their businesses in Kenya.
Nailab Secured a $1.6 Million Tech Incubation project from the Kenyan Government, the initiative of the Ministry of Information and Communications through the World Bank and recently announced the increase of funding for the season 3 and season 4 enterprises from a previous Ksh 300,000 per enterprise to a total of over Kshs.5 million.
Some of the top startups to graduate from the space include:
1. Ghafla!
Ghafla was part of the first batch of graduates out of nailab and is now considered Kenya’s leading online entertainment news website.
2. Wezatele
Weza Tele has grown into a leading provider of innovative value added mobility solutions in commerce, supply chain and distribution and mobile payment integration.
3. Gigwapi
Gigwapi is an event listing platform connecting event organizers to event goers and helps users discover what’s happening around them by aggregating events they like based on their social interests. It was founded in September 2012 and launched its 1st product in February 2013.
4. Kejahunt
Kejahunt is the new kid on the block having recently graduated from Nailab. Kejahunt uses geo-location technology and social media intergration to ease the process of finding a house or a roommate. It focuses on low and middle income Kenyans, who are mostly youth between the ages of 20 and 38 years old and make up 48.4 per cent of the country’s population.
5. Sokotext
Sokotext uses the power of text messaging to aggregate demand for food and unlock wholesale prices for small entrepreneurs in urban slums. They have been running a successful pilot in Mathare Valley, Nairobi since the summer 2013.