The Coolest Tech Incubator in the World is in Uganda

From the Appfrica-sponsored Facebook Developers Garage in Kampala

"Intelligence and effort and dreams...are equally distributed throughout the world. But systems of investment and opportunity aren’t, and that people who are given the chance to make something of their lives and to rebuild their countries and communities will more often please you than disappoint you if they have a system where there is a predictable connection between the effort they make and the result they get."

Bill Clinton, on Larry King Live 9/28/08

The coolest tech incubator in the world is in Uganda. Ever since I heard about Jon Gosier and Appfrica Labs year I've been thrilled to see it grow and develop. Jon is building a tech incubator for Ugandan web developers in the heart of Kampala. For much of the last year, he has been incubating talent by bringing in contract work through which he hires developers part time.

But today, he formally announced that Kuv Capital has funded the project, enabling Jon to open up an office and hire a number of developers full time. I've been waiting to write this post for weeks. I think that this makes Kuv Capital the smartest small venture capital firm in the world.

All over the world, there are people discovering the connective power of digital communication and the excitement of entrepreneurship. If you want to know how the internet is going to evolve in the developing world, ask them. Google may be laying down the pipes to make the data flow, but it's local African developers who are going to see the intersection between what their communities and cities need, and what the web can do.

The "risk" may be high in the sense that these are relatively untested waters, but the actual amount of resources needed versus the potential reward makes that risk, in my book, just about the

Jon writes:

A while back, Erik Hersman wrote “There is a Problem with Seed Capital in Africa“, touching on the fact that foreign firms aren’t any more interested in investing in Africa any more than Africans are. Ultimately it should be African businessmen who are fostering this movement, but they aren’t. It’s often a place where wealth is guarded or abused, but all too often, not reinvested in it’s own. That’s how you end up with billionaire politicians in literally some of the poorest nations on the planet.

When it comes to VCs in America and Europe, “Investors don’t invest in businesses, they invest in people,” is a mantra commonly heard from Investors and MBAs alike. What then, does that say about Africa which is really lacking any sort of major VC community? Does it mean there’s a lack of faith (or trust) in people here? Definitely. But until there are more success stories, until there are more Ushahidis, Afrigators and Synthasites, until people take a leap of faith and don’t get burned, that mentality will remain. It’s up to Africa, and only Africa to change it.

On that note, I’d like to thank Kuv Capital for taking that leap with me and supporting entrepreneurs in forgotten markets around the world.

Do yourself a favor, email Jon and ask how you can buy in.