The second day of the Kenya Startup School Module 3 was dedicated to intellectual property (IP), a crucial component of education, innovation, and commercialization. Held at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation in Nairobi, the session aimed to equip educators with the knowledge and tools to help students protect their innovations and integrate IP awareness into their institutions.
Wangeci Wahome, CEO of Anza Village, led an insightful discussion on why intellectual property matters in academia. She emphasized the role of IP in encouraging innovation among students and faculty, establishing clear ownership of research and creative works, preventing unauthorized use of innovations through copyright protection, and promoting knowledge transfer and commercialization. She also introduced educators to key institutions such as the Kenya Industrial Property Institute (KIPI) and the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO), which provide essential support for protecting student-driven innovations.
The session also featured Engineer Benson Kariuki, a veteran in intellectual property management at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT). Having served as a director at the university’s Directorate of Intellectual Property Management and University-Industry Liaison (DIPUIL) for over 14 years, Benson shared JKUAT’s approach to intellectual property. He explained how students and faculty, through their research and studies, create valuable inventions that benefit society. JKUAT’s IP framework ensures these innovations are legally protected, commercialized, and equitably shared among stakeholders.
Benson outlined JKUAT’s impressive strides in IP protection, noting that the university has secured 17 patents, with 19 applications still pending. Additionally, they have registered 25 utility models, with seven more under review, along with two industrial designs and 11 copyrights. He also highlighted the significance of Kenya’s ranking in the Global Innovation Index (GII) and stressed the importance of industry linkages in fostering innovation and commercialization.
One of the key takeaways from Benson’s session was the global perception of Africa’s innovation landscape. He pointed out that Africa is often viewed as lacking in care, thought, organization, and diligence. However, he argued that such misconceptions can be challenged through strong intellectual property management, robust research initiatives, and successful commercialization of innovations. By doing so, universities and institutions can change the narrative and showcase Africa’s immense potential in the global innovation space.
Ken Njoroge, Founder of Pani, took the stage to share his entrepreneurial journey. Pani is a boutique investment firm focused on empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs and the startup ecosystem in Africa. The firm offers executive coaching and cash investments to promising founders in exchange for equity.
Ken’s journey into entrepreneurship began when he co-founded 3Mice and later Cellulant, a Pan-African fintech giant that pioneered mobile payments in Africa. Today, Cellulant operates in 35 African countries, serving millions of users. He shared how his career path took an unexpected turn when he abandoned his pharmacy studies at the University of Nairobi, choosing instead to pursue his passion for computers, a passion ignited by a scholarship at Strathmore University.
Reflecting on his 17 years at Cellulant, Ken recounted how the company evolved from a music business to a financial services provider using USSD technology. By 2012, it had expanded into a Pan-African enterprise, and when he left, the company had grown to 450 employees across 18 countries.
Ken emphasized the importance of deeply understanding the future to determine what to build. He acknowledged the challenges startups face, particularly in securing funding, noting that banks were hesitant to finance mere ideas. Instead, he relied on the "3 Fs"—friends, family, and fans—to fund his early ventures.
On customer acquisition, Ken advised startups to be strategic. He suggested identifying a target market, creating a list of 100 potential customers, and pitching to them one by one. According to him, engaging directly with customers not only helps refine a product but also provides valuable insights into how to sell effectively. He applied this method for 18 months before securing his first customer.
Ken also reiterated the importance of business education, urging entrepreneurs to take business courses to understand and develop their Business Model Canvas early. He highlighted the need to make business investing more accessible, noting that a major challenge is the lack of easily accessible data. Pani is working on addressing this issue by engaging with businesses and, in the future, opening up data to support better investment decisions.
