While entrepreneurship support programmes help climate entrepreneurs validate ideas, strengthen business models and prepare for growth, building a successful enterprise continues long after those programmes end. New markets, financing, regulation and business expansion bring fresh challenges that require ongoing support.
Recognising this reality, the Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC) today launched the Founders Collective, a lifelong, founder-first platform connecting climate entrepreneurs to mentorship, investment readiness support, capital, markets, business intelligence, peer learning and strategic partnerships needed to build resilient businesses and scale their impact.
The Founders Collective marks a strategic evolution in KCIC's approach to entrepreneurship support, shifting from delivering time-bound programmes to building a lasting ecosystem that supports founders throughout their entrepreneurial journey.
The launch brought together climate entrepreneurs, investors, development partners, government and private sector leaders, reflecting the collaborative community the Founders Collective seeks to build.
Over the past decade, KCIC has supported more than 3,500 climate enterprises across East Africa through incubation, acceleration, technical assistance, financing and ecosystem development. In doing so, it learned that while programmes end, enterprise building does not. As businesses mature, founders face increasingly complex challenges that require continued guidance, trusted relationships and access to new opportunities.
Speaking during the launch, KCIC Chief Executive Officer Joseph Murabula noted:
"While programmes have defined timelines, enterprise building rarely follows the same calendar. Founders often face new challenges after formal support has ended. Their need for trusted relationships, market information and practical advice not only continues but expands. The Founders Collective responds to that reality by creating a lifelong platform through which entrepreneurs can remain connected to KCIC, to one another and to the wider ecosystem."
For KCIC, however, the Founders Collective was born not from strategy alone, but from years of listening to entrepreneurs.
Introducing the initiative, KCIC's SWIFT Programme Manager, Christine Mbaabu, said the Founders Collective was inspired by years of conversations with entrepreneurs about what happens after formal programme support ends.
Yet one question continued to surface: "What next? Can we keep calling KCIC even after the programme ends?" Those conversations became the catalyst for the Founders Collective.
Rather than creating a conventional alumni association, KCIC asked a different question: If founders were to design their own community, what would it look like? The answer shaped a platform built around the needs entrepreneurs consistently expressed—continued growth, stronger connections, practical learning, access to suitable capital, greater visibility and a community that evolves alongside their businesses.
As their businesses evolve, founders will continue accessing the relationships, knowledge and opportunities needed to navigate growth and build resilient enterprises.
The Founders Collective also advances KCIC's Pan-African Strategy 4.0, which aims to support an additional 12,000 climate enterprises across Africa by strengthening founder networks, encouraging cross-border collaboration and building a pipeline of resilient, investment-ready businesses.
For the entrepreneurs gathered at the launch, the Founders Collective represents continuity. Several founders reflected on the uncertainty that often follows the end of incubation programmes, when businesses continue to grow but structured support comes to an end. They spoke of wondering whether they would still have someone to call for advice, mentorship or guidance when new challenges emerged.
As founder James Muritu of Progreen Innovations reflected: "KCIC has been more than a funder. It has been a trusted partner, walking alongside us through both opportunities and setbacks. The Founders Collective gives us confidence that those relationships will continue long after programme graduation, creating a community where entrepreneurs can keep learning, collaborating and accessing the support needed to navigate the next stage of growth."
The launch also underscored that building Africa's climate innovation ecosystem is a shared responsibility. Investors were encouraged to bring capital, development partners to unlock opportunities, corporations to create market access, mentors to share their expertise and founders themselves to contribute the experiences and lessons that can strengthen the wider entrepreneurial community.
During the founder reflections, seasoned entrepreneurs shared lessons on leadership, resilience and legacy. As entrepreneur Michael Macharia observed:
"As you grow as an entrepreneur, your life changes. You begin thinking about community. Every entrepreneur has to decide what kind of legacy they want to leave, not just through the business, but through the person they become."
The morning culminated in the official unveiling of the Founders Collective, formally marking the beginning of KCIC's lifelong founder community and a new chapter in the organisation's support for climate entrepreneurs.
As the Founders Collective begins its journey, it also signals a broader ambition to build a connected Pan-African community where founders, investors, development partners, corporations and policymakers work together to accelerate climate innovation and create resilient businesses that drive Africa's sustainable future.
The event concluded with networking and the first Founders Collective membership applications, marking the beginning of a lifelong community designed to support entrepreneurs well beyond programme graduation.