The MITx Global Entrepreneurship Bootcamp is a nexus connecting entrepreneurs from around the world to the entrepreneurial ecosystem surrounding the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Annually, MIT opens its doors to students to learn innovation-driven entrepreneurship in the spirit of mens et manus (MIT’s motto in Latin, meaning ‘Mind and Hand’) and this year, 5 Nigerian startups have been given the opportunity to participate in the program.
These startups were carefully selected based on five criteria:
- Entrepreneurial potential
- Focus on excellence
- Contribution to community
- Intellectual curiosity
- Collaborative spirit
1. Chris Kwekowe, Slatecube, Lagos, Nigeria
Slatecube leverages knowledge with skill-acquisition to promote employability and social development by allowing you learn useful stuff, work with companies on projects, and even get employed to do the things you love! Slatecube is powered by leading schools and organizations. www.slatecube.com
Slatecube was also selected as one of TEEP’s 1000.
2. Emmanuel Adegboye, Bus-Stop, Lagos, Nigeria
Bus Stop is solving the problem of navigation using the various available public transportation options in Africa. www.busstop.ng
For me, the exposure at the bootcamp is important because of the mentoring I would get for my startup, the experience I would gain by networking with other entrepreneurs from across the globe and the other benefits of being plugged into the entrepreneurial ecosystem at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The training at the bootcamp would also provide valuable insights into how to move my startup to the next stage of growth including how to pitch to potential investors and how to acquire customers. I intend to harness the knowledge and networks I would acquire to further develop Bus Stop into a product that is an integral part of how millions of Africans commute daily. – Emmanuel Adegboye (busstop.ng)
3. Nasir Yammama, Verdant, London, United Kingdom
Verdant is an Agtech startup that collects agricultural data from different sources and place it at the convenience of the farmers as well as provide all-round support from pre-planting to harvest and beyond. Further information on Nasir can be obtained at www.yammama.com
4. Similoluwa Adejumo, Aajoh, Lagos, Nigeria
Aajoh optimizes hospital productivity and revenues by transforming health care delivery into a simple, fast, secure and automated Web platform. This increases accessibility to healthcare delivery and improves standardization of health care. www.aajoh.com
Personally, what I hope to gain Entrepreneurship 101 and 102 afforded me the ability to identify our customers and effectively select our defined beachhead market, this is a tip of the iceberg. The bootcamp would afford me a rare insight into how MIT Alumni started 25,600 companies and generated approximately $2trillion in revenue making the already illustrious institution a world entrepreneurship capital which will steer Aajoh as it goes about answering the question: can healthcare be standardized in Nigeria? – Similoluwa Adejumo (aajoh.com)
5. Zuby Onwuta, ThinkAndZoom, Austin, Texas
ThinkAndZoom is a software that provides hands free visual magnification for the visually impaired, powered by the human mind. We believe it is possible for people to see better if they simply look, think and zoom. www.thinkandzoom.com. Further information on Zuby can be obtained from www.zubyonwuta.com.
