Last week saw the launch of a new mobile app that will connect local entrepreneurs with mentors and investors.
While 55 percent of Africa’s population is engaged in agricultural livelihoods, only approximately one per cent of bank lending and access to investment across the continent goes to the agricultural sector according to One Acre Fund, a non-profit enterprise that supplies financing and training to help smallholders grow their way out of hunger and build lasting pathways to prosperity.
Dreamed up in Kampala, the app – ImukaAccess – was designed by associates at local business accelerator Imuka Ventures with a young team of developers known as Fecund Labs.
The ImukaAccess app was designed to complement existing incubators, accelerators and business support services in the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Uganda. Building on Imuka Ventures’ success with supporting small businesses to grow and scale, the app provides a holistic solution to the needs gaps Ugandan entrepreneurs and farmers face.
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“We know that small businesses across the country are struggling to survive,” says Imuka Ventures’ founder Roy Gakuo, “And that many hard-working entrepreneurs lack access to the mentors support and financing that would help them grow. We want to change that.”
This spells good news for entrepreneurs and investors alike. ImukaAccess is an app that aims to strengthen trust and transparency between entrepreneurs and investors. Entrepreneurs’ businesses are verified as legitimate by Imuka Experts, which includes at least one initial visit to ensure the validity of the business as an investment opportunity. This process also allows Imuka Experts to provide entrepreneurs with the right kind of personalized support that will help the businesses grow.
Ultimately, Imuka Ventures is intent on seeing local businesses scale. “If we can help more Ugandans succeed in their enterprises,” Gakuo says, “We will find the country as a whole will benefit with greater youth unemployment and greater wealth shared among a strengthened and growing economy.” The ImukaAccess app is free to download, with paid options for entrepreneurs seeking a personalized support experience.
Visit https://imukaccess.com/ for more information about ImukaAccess, including download links and screenshots of the app.