MIT Legatum Center’s 2024-25 Foundry Fellows Explore Kenya’s Innovation Ecosystem

This month, the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will lead its 2024-2025 Foundry Fellows on an ecosystem tour of Nairobi, Kenya.

Over a three-day tour of Nairobi and a week-long experience in Kenya, Africa’s top innovation-driven entrepreneurs will engage directly with Kenya’s vibrant entrepreneurial landscape, meeting with key stakeholders from government, corporate, academic, and investment sectors.

This tour aims to support fellows in building vibrant ecosystems within their own countries by fostering cross-continental collaboration and knowledge exchange.

The Foundry Fellowship, a highly selective program, is designed to support Africa’s leading entrepreneurs, enabling them to deepen their impact as ecosystem builders across the continent. Through mentorship, leadership training, and hands-on learning, the fellowship guides participants as they reflect on their achievements and consider their present and future leadership roles as entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and thought leaders.

 “The Foundry Fellowship is dedicated to strengthening Africa’s next generation of entrepreneurial leaders. By immersing our fellows in the dynamic ecosystem of Nairobi, they gain invaluable insights into what’s possible when African-led innovation meets collaboration and opportunity. Our goal is to build entrepreneur-led communities that can drive the change needed to transform systems and improve lives on the continent. I am truly proud of the impact our fellowship is making in realizing this mission” Dina H. Sherif, Executive Director of the Legatum Center, commented,

Nairobi was chosen as the site for this inaugural ecosystem tour due to Kenya’s burgeoning startup landscape, fueling national economic growth and innovation. With a young population—over 75% of whom are under age 35—and the international success of Nairobi-born companies like M-Pesa, Kenya is increasingly recognized as a leading hub for innovation in Africa.

As part of the tour, fellows will participate in an Adaptive Leadership seminar taught by Hugh O’Doherty, Adjunct Lecturer on Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. They will also visit key institutions, including the Microsoft Africa Development Center and the Nairobi Stock Exchange, gaining firsthand exposure to Kenya’s unique approach to scaling innovative solutions.

Jennifer Brady, Senior Advisor for the Foundry Fellowship, added, “This ecosystem tour provides our Fellows with a rare opportunity to connect deeply with Kenya’s innovation landscape, learning from its successes and challenges to inform their own entrepreneurial ecosystems. This experience is essential to the Fellowship’s mission to build bridges and foster inclusive prosperity across Africa.”

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