Hive Colab

Strong startup ecosystems are not built in isolation. They grow when innovators, hubs, investors and ecosystem partners connect, share knowledge and create pathways for entrepreneurs to thrive.

We were pleased to host the Somo Africa team at Hive Colab Uganda for an engaging conversation on how we can strengthen networks and create more opportunities for grassroots entrepreneurs across East Africa.

Our discussions explored value addition, market access, shared resources and collaborative ecosystems, with a focus on how partnerships can help early-stage ventures access the training, tools, networks and capital they need to grow sustainably.

At Hive Colab, we believe that when ecosystem players connect their strengths, we create stronger pathways for entrepreneurs and contribute to a more resilient and connected regional innovation ecosystem.

Thank you to the Somo team for the visit and for the meaningful exchange. We look forward to exploring opportunities to collaborate and support the next generation of East African enterprises.

This month at Founders Day Café, we are putting the spotlight on building EdTech that moves learners beyond training and into real opportunity.

We are honoured to invite Robert Bob Okello, Founder & CEO of Maarifasasa , to lead a fireside conversation on:

“Knowledge Now: Building EdTech That Ends in a Job, Not Just a Certificate.”

hosted by Felly Amanda Baisuka

As one of the 12 ventures selected for Cohort 1 of the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship Uganda, Maarifasasa is building pathways that connect skills development to real employment opportunities, including partnerships that connect Ugandan talent with global markets.

From building in Lira to creating international partnerships, Bob’s journey offers valuable lessons on talent, innovation, education and building from beyond the capital.

Date : Friday, 25 September 2026

Time : 5:00 pm

Venue : Hive Colab, 4th Floor, Kanjokya House, Kampala

Join us for an engaging fireside conversation with alot of free snacks, followed by an open Q&A with founders, startups, partners and members of the Hive Colab community in partnership with The Business Support Network.

Being everywhere isn’t a marketing strategy. Being where your customers are is.

For startups, choosing the right marketing channels can make the difference between reaching the right audience and simply creating noise.

From social media and content marketing to email, SEO, paid advertising, partnerships, referrals, events, and communities, each channel serves a different purpose. The key is understanding where your customers spend their time, how they discover solutions, and what makes them trust a brand.

You don’t need to master every channel at once. Start with one or two that align with your audience and goals, test what works, measure the results, and improve as you learn.
Build a marketing system that turns attention into trust, customers, retention, and referrals.

Which marketing channel has worked best for your startup?

Big results rarely come from one extraordinary day. They are built through the small decisions, improvements, and efforts we make consistently.

For founders, innovators, and changemakers, progress can look like refining a product, listening to a customer, improving a process, learning something new, or simply showing up and doing the work.

You don’t need to transform everything at once. Focus on making today a little better than yesterday.
Keep showing up. Keep learning. Keep improving. Keep building.

Have a productive and purposeful week from all of us at Hive Colab.

A long list of product features doesn't necessarily mean you've built a valuable product.
Customers don't wake up wanting more features. They want problems solved, time saved, costs reduced, opportunities created, and experiences improved.
For founders, one of the most important questions to ask before building anything new is:

"What value will this create for the customer?"

That question can help you prioritise development, simplify your product, improve your messaging, and build something people actually need.
Don't just build features. Build value.

What feature have you built that created the biggest value for your customers?

From Connectivity to Ownership: Building Uganda’s Digital Innovation Ecosystem

Last Friday, Hive Colab joined stakeholders, innovators, policymakers and technology leaders at the 3rd Annual ICT National Summit, convened by the ICT Association of Uganda at the National ICT Innovation Hub, Nakawa.

Held under the theme “Leveraging AI, Digital Infrastructure and Innovation to Accelerate Uganda’s 10X Growth to a USD 500 Billion Economy,” the Summit created space for important conversations about the role of technology and innovation in Uganda’s economic transformation.

One of the key sessions, Building Uganda’s Digital Innovation Ecosystem, brought a critical question into focus: How much of the digital value Uganda creates do we actually retain?
The conversation highlighted the need to move beyond simply expanding connectivity. Uganda must also strengthen local ownership of the platforms, data, infrastructure and intellectual property that drive the digital economy.

Arthur Mukembo challenged innovation hubs and ecosystem players to look honestly at what sits at the core of our innovation ecosystem, including how we unlock new resources, share opportunities, exchange data and strengthen the infrastructure needed to support sustainable growth.

For Hive Colab, this conversation reinforced an important reality: building the pipeline of innovators and solutions is only half the work. Ensuring that Uganda captures and retains the value created through that innovation is the other half.

The Summit also underscored that Science, Technology and Innovation cannot remain in isolation. They must be applied across key sectors including agro industrialisation, tourism, mining, energy and oil and gas to create tangible economic value.

Uganda’s ambition of becoming a USD 500 billion economy by 2040 will require more than bold ideas. It will require strong digital infrastructure, investment, skills, local ownership and an ecosystem that can turn innovation into measurable economic impact.

Connectivity is the start. Ownership is the destination.

Hive Colab was proud to be part of this important conversation and remains committed to strengthening Uganda’s innovation ecosystem and supporting solutions that create lasting value.

Every big idea starts with a step into the unknown.

As founders, innovators, and changemakers, we won't always have all the answers or know exactly where the journey will lead. What matters is having the courage to start, the humility to learn, and the resilience to keep going.

This week, don't let uncertainty stop you.
Take the next step. Have the conversation. Test the idea. Ask the question. Learn from the outcome and keep moving.
You may not know exactly where the path leads, but every step can bring you closer to where you want to be.

Have a purposeful and inspiring week ahead.

Great EdTech solutions need more than innovation, they need evidence of impact.

For EdTech ventures, building an innovative solution is only the beginning. Understanding whether that solution is reaching the right people, improving learning outcomes, and creating meaningful change is what turns innovation into impact.
Building on the Venture MEL Capacity Audits conducted in August 2026, the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship Uganda is equipping participating ventures with practical Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) skills to help them measure progress, understand outcomes, learn from evidence, and continuously strengthen their solutions.

Led by Hive Colab’s MEL Lead, Ssetuba Bashir, the hands-on sessions covered:

- MEL key definitions and terminology

-Indicator development and indicator lists

-Theory of Change (ToC) and logical pathways

-Learning Agendas

-Key MEL framework components

-The Information Management Platform for venture-level reporting

-Practical approaches to measuring progress and outcomes

The focus goes beyond collecting and reporting data. Ventures are being supported to turn data into learning, learning into better decisions, and better decisions into greater impact.

What’s next?
The Fellowship will continue supporting ventures through:

-Venture Outcome Mapping

-Implementation of Learning Agendas

-One-on-one MEL Support Clinics

-Community of Practice sessions

Because ultimately, the success of an EdTech solution isn't only measured by what it can do, but by the difference it makes in the lives of learners, educators, and communities.