The Business Plan Competition of the 1st edition of the MBA in Impact Entrepreneurship at Uganda Martyrs University (Kampala) was run on 21st January 2017.
The 37 entrepreneurs have for the past 16 months been diligently working to develop fully fledged and investment ready business plans which they showcased to jury members drawn from the venture capitalist world, bankers, foundations, Business Angels, business experts, incubators, accelerators and senior entrepreneurs. This was a crowning moment for these fabulous entrepreneurs, who have diverse businesses interests in the sectors of ICT, Agri-Business, Health , Education, Hospitality, Engineering, Renewable energy.
Here the names of the winners:
- Best Business Plan: Denis Kimbugwe with his Pure Products Limited, a business that intends to scale its current distribution model through unique distribution Technology of Water ATM kiosks. The idea is to locally assemble and install at least 1000 Water ATMs in Slums, growing towns, village communities and institution like schools and Hospitals by 2020 and enter new East Africa markets. This will be possible through several synergies, joint ventures and partnerships both at local and international level
- Best Stand Up Business: Fred Ijjo with his Friends Of Bamboo, a startup company dedicated to production of bamboo based building components as alternative material to promote affordable housing. The company preserves green bamboo from natural plantation using eco-friendly approach and through advanced clean technology manufactures building components that are fast and ready to install. The production process integrates the low income communities in the product value chain. Utilization of bamboo protects forests, which prevents desertification, reduces carbon emissions and conserves biodiversity.
- Best Start Up: Henry Butele with his Multipurpose Call Center Platform, a Ugandan ICT firm that via Voitech Solutions actively promoting the use of the basic mobile telephone as a gateway for the masses to accessing critical information from the sectors such as Agriculture, Health, Education, Local government and Business services alike.
- Best Business with Social Impact: Sr Ernestine Akulu with her Bishop Ceaser Asili Hospital, that will provide heart and orthopaedic/Trauma Services through a comprehensive range of outpatient, day case and inpatient care on both an elective and emergency basis to the rural population of Luweero and beyond. The Hospital is committed to delivering the highest standards of treatment and patient care in heart and orthopaedic/musculo-skeletal problems and trauma.
- Best scalable Business: Federico Tonelli with his iFishFarm, that raises Tilapia fish in a carefully monitored environment on Bugala Island in Lake Victoria, Uganda. iFF’s ambition is to contribute to the high demand for protein-rich healthy food in the region, offering a quality product with the passion of the local communities, while empowering them through an employee co-owned model.
A big thank you to our MBA Alumnus, Joseph Nkandu (founder of NUCAFE ) and Fabian Kasi (MD of Centenary bank) that donated respectively 2 millions and 3 millions Ugandan shillings to the winner.
We’re very proud of all our entrepreneurs that now are ready to follow the path we co-created and positively impact on their country!
