Two of Kenya’s leading young entrepreneurs have been invited to appear at South by South West (SXSW), the United States’ most exciting emerging technologies event. Nivi Mukherjee, founder of eLimu, Kenya’s most talked about education technology startup; and Simeon Oriko, founder of The Kuyu Project, that teaches high school students how to harness the power of social media; have been selected by the Capital City African-American Chamber of Commerce (CCAACC) as their first ever Africa Diaspora Fellows.
In this capacity they will attend the SXSW Interactive Festival that will take place in Austin, Texas from the 8th to 12th March, 2013.
This fellowship is focused on deepening the relationship between Kenyan entrepreneurs and Austin’s globally-renowned and growing technology scene.
“Opportunities like this lower the barriers to entry for entrepreneurs to participate in meaningful interactions like this which are useful in building the necessary relationships to help our ventures grow,” says Simeon Oriko.
“This is a good opportunity for us to connect and interact with the globally significant entrepreneurs and help to put Kenya with its thriving entrepreneurial culture on the map” Nivi Mukherjee adds.
The CCAACC promotes the development of African-American businesses and the expansion of the Greater Austin business community by providing resources, technical assistance, and leadership on policy issues that enhance economic growth and by promoting convention and tourism.
Natalie Cofield, President & CEO of CCAACC says, “Austin is very excited to deepen our connection to global technology markets. This fellowship provides an opportunity for African entrepreneurs to learn more about our great city, and for our city to learn more about them..”
eLimu is an education technology startup that utilizes tablets to make learning more interactive, fun and effective for Kenyan primary school students. The Kuyu Project is a digital literacy initiative that teaches high school students and graduates the value of digital technology and how they can exploit it to achieve their goals.
SXSW is a marriage of film, interactive, and music festivals and conferences that take place each spring in Austin, Texas, United States. The SXSW conferences and festivals have become the highest profile event of its kind in the world offering a unique convergence of original music, independent film, and emerging technologies.
