Seven Years of Innovation Support in Namibia
Between 2017 and 2024, I’ve worked to reduce youth unemployment by supporting Namibian early-stage entrepreneurship and innovation, wearing many hats—Doctoral Researcher, Programme Officer, Designer, and Capacity Builder. So let’s take a look at these past years!
The Windhoek Entrepreneurship Ecosystem
This resource includes two valuable assets: 1. An Overview of the Windhoek Entrepreneurship Ecosystem, 2. An Overview of the Windhoek Startup Ecosystem by Category and Startup Development Stage. Combined, this resource is a practical tool for founders seeking suitable support and for support organisations aiming to enhance the entrepreneurship ecosystem. It’s a tangible support system at your fingertips. The insights primarily rely on the perspectives of local ecosystem actors and startups gathered during research fieldwork in 2021-2022.
Consulting with Heart: Facilitating Turipamwe's Innovation Process in Namibia
No, I’m not your average management consultant stepping in with a suit jacket and armed with nothing but a sexy framework. And my professional relationship with the Turipamwe team is not your average innovation consultancy. It spans four years, one thorough internal innovation process, one new department, two new positions, a couple of staff members leaving and a couple of new joining, a few successes, a few losses, some revenue growth, some frustratingly stalled sales, one White Paper on Design Thinking in Namibia, loads of laughter and, yes, a few tears.
How to Overcome Challenges on a PhD Journey
A lack of open conversation about the struggles on the PhD journey limits possibilities for peer learning. What’s worse is it makes us feel like there’s something wrong with us when things around us go wrong. So here’s a strategy guide for when things don’t go as planned.
Is my business viable?
In my time as an early-stage startup coach in Finland and southern Africa, I’ve met plenty of first-time founders without a business or finance background. They’re creatives, coders and experts in their field who got into business for the love of the game - not the business side of things. They might have a lot of talent and if they’re lucky, they have a co-founder who knows numbers.
How I raised funds for my Doctoral Research
For the third time in a row, I secured a living stipend for my Doctoral Research from Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) in Finland. This brings the total number of grants I’ve received to four with a success rate in grant applications of 57 %.