StartUp Namibia: Building a Startup Ecosystem
Startups are new organizations created to produce a unique product or service, bring it to market, and make it compelling and irreplaceable to customers, according to Forbes Magazine. They are built on innovation, correcting flaws in existing products or inventing totally new categories of goods and services, causing entire sectors to change their methods of thinking and conducting business. As a result, many companies are dubbed “disruptors” in their respective sectors.
Startups provide employment, which helps our economy develop. As a result, one must be familiar with startups in order to uncover prospects for success in this rapidly expanding space. Startups are critical because they break norms, solve issues, and empower people to shape the future.
In Namibia the current conditions for start-ups and for upscaling small businesses are inadequate. Support for start-ups are still in their very early stages, but do show promise for the future.
One such project we can look at is StartUp Namibia. This is a joint Namibian-German technical cooperation project for Sustainable Economic Development by the German Government and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) with the Namibian Ministry of Trade & Industrialization (MIT), Ministry of Higher Education, Technology Innovation (MHETI), and the City of Windhoek (COW).
This project is improving conditions for the formation and growth of Namibian start-ups in selected regions in Namibia and encourages entrepreneurs to bring fresh ideas to the table in order to boost innovation and competitiveness.
Namibia’s entrepreneurial environment, particularly for new businesses, is still in its infancy. A startup is a scalable business that generally includes a technological component. Startup Namibia was founded in order to strengthen this ecosystem and provide services to help more Namibian startups develop.
Another wing of the StartUp Namibia project is the “DTC” (Digital Transformation Centre), which is the technology center aimed at developing impact-driven digital solutions in Africa. DTC supports manufacturing industries and the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector by improving training and job creation. DTC will be equipped with an ICT Lab as well as an advanced manufacturing lab or makerspace.
StartUp Namibia has completed a number of successful projects, including the COVID-19 Hygiene and PPE Kit, which was created in collaboration with the Ministry of Industrialization and Trade (MIT) to assist start-ups and small enterprises in reopening safely and generating money again.
1,600 kits containing 2L hand wash, 2L hand sanitizer, 2L disinfectant, and 5 face masks will be supplied to start-ups on a competitive basis through this hygiene assistance initiative.
In 2020, applications for the Covid-19 Startup Survival Grants that were received numbered 1992.
In 2021/2022, another 200 computers will be given out, together with Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Game Design skills training, to encourage new business ventures in Namibia.
One of the challenges that Startup Namibia has is that it is an initiative that must become self-sustaining. This is a hurdle in and of itself because the ecosystem is so small and has yet to thrive and be able to finance Basecamp’s services.
What distinguishes them from others in the industry is their desire to work with other ecosystem support organizations in order to reach more entrepreneurs and develop the ecosystem. StartUp Namibia provides co-working space, often known as ‘Pop-up Camps,’ in four areas of Namibia, as well as training for entrepreneurs from ideation to funding and scalability. Through the Slingshot Fund, they give seed funds and collaborate with foreign organizations to bring cutting-edge programs to the country.
This organization is paving the path for the creation of new businesses across the country and wants to provide a secure environment for local budding entrepreneurs to try out their creative ideas and commit to establishing a new source of revenue. The DTC provides critical technological skills, while Basecamp provides crucial entrepreneurial training and mentoring with experienced mentors. They are attempting to create new business and job prospects through this two-pronged strategy.
They have done an excellent job of marketing themselves on social media platforms, and it is paid off as they have witnessed an upsurge in their social media following. You can visit them on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/startup.na/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/startup.na To find out more about their work.
https://basecamp.startupnam.org/