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Resilient Innovation & Entrepreneurship in East Africa

Elevate Blue is an entrepreneurial support program for the Blue Economy and Marine Litter funded by Norad. We offer an End-to-End solution targeting activation and stimulation for innovators as well as growth and access to finance for businesses.

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// About the Program

Empowering Sustainable Solutions for the Blue Economy and Marine Litter in East Africa.

// Program Overview

Our goal is to equip entrepreneurs with guidance and resources they need to succeed and make long lasting impact

Participate in city-based hackathons to solve critical problems in Blue Economy and Marine Litter. Work with diverse teams of innovators, professionals, and students. Prizes for winning ideas include seed funding and access to the incubation program.

The Incubation program is a 16-week program offering mentorship, resources, and networking to turn ideas into sustainable businesses. Focus areas include Blue Economy (fisheries, aquaculture, etc…) and Marine Litter (waste recycling, circular economy, etc…).

Scale your business with investor connections, sector-specific masterclasses, and industry events. This 6-month program offers tailored coaching and mentorship for rapid growth.

Receive ongoing support, bridge financing, and mentorship to sustain your business growth. Access to investor networks and industry linkages for further scaling.

Investment: we support successful startups to secure the necessary capital for further development.

// Program Partners

Funding and Implementing Partners

Here’s a brief overview of MTI, TechBridge, and SoteHub, emphasizing why this partnership is an ideal team to lead the Innovation, Incubation, and Acceleration programs:

Norad is an administrative and specialist body for development cooperation and supports the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Climate and the Environment in achieving the goals of Norwegian development policy and promoting sustainable development. The UN's sustainability goals, climate goals and human rights form the basis of Norad's work.

MTI is a Swedish publicly traded investment firm with deep expertise in supporting early-stage ventures in East Africa. Focused on growth and impactful sectors, MTI has a proven track record of mobilizing funds and providing strategic guidance to startups. With strong ties to investors, MTI connects emerging businesses to capital, ensuring long-term growth and impact.

TechBridge is renowned for its innovation-driven approach to applied entrepreneurship education. The company has extensive experience running incubator and accelerator programs that combine tailored mentorship, cutting-edge curriculum and applied entrepreneurship knowledge. TechBridge has successfully scaled multiple startups, providing them with the necessary resources to flourish in competitive industries like aquaculture and waste management.

Sote Hub is a strong voice in the Blue Economy and Climate sector in Kenya and East Africa. Registered in both Kenya and Tanzania, our mission is to grow a viable pipeline of start-ups into industry leaders. Over the last three years, Sote Hub has worked with and supported over 300 high-value startups and SMEs who today are thriving in the Blue Economy, climate and the digital space. The approach includes business incubation, guiding start-ups from ideation to market and linkage to finance.

Sote Hub is the convener of the annual Blue Economy Innovation and Investment Summit , an event that curates and brings together diverse stakeholders in the Blue Economy sector, including entrepreneurs, government bodies, research institutions, academia, industry associations, funders, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), media, in Kenya, a platform for impactful dialogues on blue economy trends, lessons and opportunities.