UNFPA launched Kenya’s I.AM innovation accelerator together with Nailab, a technology driven business incubator, in June 2016.

Why did we start with Kenya?

The I.AM campaign seeks to help young people to learn, understand and talk about their sexuality and sexual reproductive health using the right sources of information in a safe and un-stigmatized environment.

The focus of the iAccelerator is on solutions that scale up access to youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health information and services.

Funded by DFID, I.AM was developed with support from Kenya’s National Council for Population and Development (NCPD) and the Ministry of Health. This ensured alignment with national priorities and Vision 2030.

What has happened since the launch?

Three ‘boot camps’ and several other activation activities reached over 1,500 young people, mainly university students.

From the 92 applications received, an independent vetting panel selected 10 finalists.

In August, nine of the 10 finalists pitched their solutions to a panel of five expert judges – well-known entrepreneurs, business leaders and experts on SRH issues.

The panel selected four solutions for the iAccelerator programme, which ran from August to November 2016. This involved four months of training and mentoring, plus US$10,000 seed funding to fine-tune each prototype and go-to-market strategy.

Using social media, the IAM has reached a further 680,000 people about the initiative and the issues.

UNFPA-Nailab accelerator programme 

Sharing ideas under the guidance of a trainer, mentor, the start-ups identified strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for their solutions and enterprises, how to address them and how to find their ways to markets.

The panel of judges
The 10 finalists' start-up summaries
The four winning solutions

More about the Kenya iAccelerator

Read about our other Innovation Accelerators:
Rwanda iAccelerator
Tanzania iAccelerator: Amua
Uganda iAccelerator: Up Accelerator