Kumasi Hive

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Kumasi Hive : Nuturing local innovations and Supporting the entrepreneurship ecosystem

Kumasi, GhanaKumasi, Ghana
Year Founded:
2015
Organization type: 
hybrid
Project Stage:
Start-Up
Budget: 
$1,000 - $10,000
Website:
https://www.facebook.com/kumasihive/
Facebook: 
https://www.facebook.com/kumasihive/
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Project Summary
Elevator Pitch

Concise Summary: Help us pitch this solution! Provide an explanation within 3-4 short sentences.

Kumasi Hive is a Tech and entrepreneurship support multi-space which seeks to nurture local innovations and supports the entrepreneurship ecosystem of the youth to solve critical challenges in our society and also to accelerate needed transformation in the lives of the people.

WHAT IF - Inspiration: Write one sentence that describes a way that your project dares to ask, "WHAT IF?"

What if the success rate of start-ups is 70% achieved through an enabling environment for entrepreneurs and start-up.
About Project

Problem: What problem is this project trying to address?

As Africa continue to experience a surge in economy and technology development, young entrepreneurs are continuously using technology and innovations to find answers to impending social problems. However, like most businesses, an enabling environment becomes imperative for the success and growth of these start-ups. Enabling environment through business development support, affordable infrastructure etc are key for the success for start-ups.

Solution: What is the proposed solution? Please be specific!

Our solution is provide the needed business development support and affordable infrastructure cost to create the enabling environment for the entrepreneurship ecosystem for ideas and start-ups to thrive to achieve more start-up success rate. The Hive uniquely uses a multi-space approach to a sustainable model. It provides a co-working spaces, training spaces, Makerspace for quick-prototyping of ideas and meeting space. It also provide business development support through organizing financial literacy programs, investment readiness training, mentorship and co-learning support. As a established network, it also makes it easier to attract investment opportunities and other external support for its members.
Impact: How does it Work

Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.

Kumasi Hive offers co-working spaces, training spaces, Makerspace for quick-prototyping of ideas and meeting space. Model is base on afdorsable but sustainable model. Through a shared cost of the infrastructure and utilities, the Hive provide an affordable rate for its members. Most of the equipment and tools are locally acquired to help reduce share cost. It also provide business development support through organizing financial literacy programs, investment readiness training, mentorship and co-learning support. Through our established network, we also makes it easier to attract investment opportunities and other external support for our members.

Impact: What is the impact of the work to date? Also describe the projected future impact for the coming years.

We currently have 25 starts-up using our co-working spaces and over 100 start-ups networks members who benefit from our business development support. 3 training programs which target various groups in the society including children, girls, local artisans, women etc are organised each month. Our makerspace also offers various hardware, coding, digital fabrication and making skills to various target groups including children and girls. It is also supporting 4 hardware start-ups to prototypes their ideas into a minimal valuable product (MVP) to enter the market.

Spread Strategies: Moving forward, what are the main strategies for scaling impact?

Our main goal is to create a sustainable multi-spaces model which can be replicated across Ghana and Africa, supporting the entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems in various cities. Also at its large scale, the Hive will help prevent Start-up migration from other cities to major capital cities which do not help decentralize economic growth across the country.
Sustainability

Financial Sustainability Plan: What is this solution’s plan to ensure financial sustainability?

As we aim at achieving a sustainable model, the Hive is operated in a way to make sure its expenses are catered for by its internally generated funds such as network membership fee, co-working space rent, makerspace membership fee, training program fee and services provided by the Hive.

Marketplace: Who else is addressing the problem outlined here? How does the proposed project differ from these approaches?

In the space of co-working space, ISpace and Impact Hub Accra who are all based in Accra offers a direct competition. But since our initial Hive is in Kumasi, we serve a different customer base. Currently in Kumasi, we are the first co-working space and and also the first multi-space for start-ups.
Team

Founding Story

The Hive was started as a results of challenges faced by entrepreneurs and start-ups in Kumasi. With the founders being also entrepreneurs, they realize a need for such a cost sharing multi-space which will help elevate challenges which they also face.

Team

George Appiah - CEO Anna Lowe- Partnership Director and Impact analyst Enoch Nkrumah - Facility and Space manager Peace Afi - Community and Network Manager
Background
Please confirm how you heard about the Unilever Awards:

Email

Please confirm your role in the initiative (eg Founder/co-Founder) and your organisational title:

Co-Founder

Which of the 8 UN Global Goals (Sustainable Development Goals) pre-selected for this competition does your solution relate most closely to? [select all that apply]

Decent Work and Economic Growth.

Leadership and the Unilever Awards
Please provide examples of any previous entrepreneurial initiatives you have pioneered.

I am also the co-founder of Creativity Group
Creativity Group is a community of student innovators, makers, entrepreneurs and changemakers who eager to use their knowledge with innovation and technology as a tool, to solve problems in our communities and in Ghana for social interventions and sustainable development.

I am also a World Economic Forum Global Shaper

Beyond your existing team, who else are you working with to achieve your objectives, eg partners, advisors, mentors?
randomness