While there is much talk about the growing incubator ecosystem in Silicon Valley and beyond, universities continue to play a significant role in kickstarting enterprises.   Here in the Silicon Valley, Stanford has been fertile ground for startups for over 50 years (If you look hard enough at the graduation ceremonies, I swear those diplomas look more like certificates of incorporation).       

The university as startup engine is not monopolized by Stanford, however, and more and more universities in the US are welcoming the entrepreneurial vision of their students and providing them with the resources they need to launch their businesses.    In 2009, it was estimated that between 120 and 130 of the 800 business incubators in the US were affiliated with universities.   

Kopo Kopo is benefiting from this trend.   This summer, the Plug and Play Tech Center launched another Startup Camp.   The portfolio companies in the camp are a result of partnerships PnP has made with leading universities across the United States.  They have recognized that many of the world’s next big ideas will come from young university students.    Kopo Kopo is one of the organizations selected to participate in this program (Kopo Kopo represents Berkeley – thanks to Zach Friedman, an MBA student at Haas). 

This powerful combination of entrepreneurial drive and intelligence present in so many university students has not gone unrecognized outside the U.S.   For decades, India’s IIT schools have been the envy of emerging markets.  IIT graduates have gone on to start successful global businesses like Sun Microsystems and Infosys.   Today, an IIT degree rivals a degree in the leading engineering schools in the U.S.      

It is exciting to see Kenya now following suit.   Over the last seven months, we’ve had a chance to interact with faculty and students at the University of Nairobi, Strathmore University, and JKUAT.   In each case, we have walked away impressed with the quality of students and staff and their dedication to entrepreneurialism.  

We have been equally impressed with the focus these institutions are making on what Kenya does best – mobile innovation.   In India, IIT deserves a lot of credit for creating the world’s next IT leaders.   In Kenya, we at Kopo Kopo are lucky to be working with the world’s next mobile leaders – and Kenya’s universities deserve a big thanks for making this happen. 

Dylan Higgins - CEO