Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA)

Developing and managing Kenya’s innovation ecosystem to create jobs and wealth. #EnablingInnovation

[Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) @KENIAupdates]

This month’s #KeNIAWebinarSeries is here!
We spotlight Vertical Lake, a Kenyan climate-tech & sustainable aquaculture startup revolutionising organic protein production through its innovative vertical freshwater “lake” system.

The company integrates circular bio-filtration & regenerative aquaculture to produce premium organic fish, fish-skin collagen, protein derivatives & natural bio-fertilisers delivering a zero-emission, water-efficient, waste-reusing ecosystem.

We are honoured to host Ms. Wendy Cynthia, Chief Operations Officer at Vertical Lake, who will share insights into their innovation journey, lessons learned, and the future of sustainable aquaculture.

The session will also explore opportunities for mentorship, collaboration, and investment within the innovation ecosystem.
Join us and be part of the conversation shaping the future of sustainable food systems.

Date: 28th May 2026
Time: 2:30-3:30 PM EAT

Register at: https://t.co/8zj8gxM0eX

[Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) @KENIAupdates]

A few weeks ago, the Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) opened applications for Cohort 4 of the Research to Commercialisation (R2C) programme. After a rigorous selection process, 15 exceptional innovators were chosen from universities and TVET institutions across the country.

Cohort 4 represents some of the most promising innovation talent Kenya has to offer.

Through the R2C programme, KeNIA provides the mentorship, commercialisation expertise and strategic networks needed to transform rigorous research into solutions that create real, lasting impact for communities, industries and the nation.

Cohort 4, we see you. We believe in what you are building. And we are honoured to be part of your journey.

#KeNIA #Enablinginnovation #R2CCohort4

[Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) @KENIAupdates]

Day 2 of the Kenya National Innovation Academy training in Naivasha focused on Leadership, Governance, Organizational Culture, and Knowledge Management—critical pillars for institutionalizing innovation and strengthening organizational competitiveness.

The programme, organized by the Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA), forms part of ongoing efforts to build innovation management capacity across institutions and promote the adoption of structured innovation practices.

The first session, facilitated by @yvonnenjeriw , examined the role of leadership in driving successful innovation initiatives. Discussions highlighted the importance of executive commitment, clear governance structures, innovation policies, psychological safety, and cross-functional collaboration in creating environments where innovation can thrive.

The second session, facilitated by Ernest Chitechi, Corporate Services Manager at the @KenyaCIC , explored the role of Information and Knowledge Management in supporting organizational resilience and continuous improvement. Participants discussed strategies for documenting, sharing, and preserving knowledge to strengthen institutional memory and support informed decision-making.

The discussions reinforced that sustainable innovation requires not only the generation of new ideas but also effective systems for leadership, governance, learning, and knowledge sharing.

The programme continues to strengthen institutional innovation capabilities and support the adoption of innovation management practices across Kenya's public and private sectors.

[Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) @KENIAupdates]

The Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA), through its flagship programme, the Kenya National Innovation Academy, today commenced a four-day training on the Institutionalization of Innovation Management for Organizations using ISO 56001 and ISO 56002 standards.

The programme brought together public sector practitioners and stakeholders to strengthen institutional innovation capabilities through internationally recognized frameworks that support organizational agility, competitiveness, and improved service delivery.

The opening session was presided over by Dr. @tomwansa , the Chief Executive Officer of KeNIA, who emphasized the importance of moving beyond ad hoc innovation efforts and adopting structured innovation management systems that drive continuous improvement, value creation, and long-term growth.

Dr. Omwansa further emphasized the alignment of innovation objectives with organizational vision, strategic priorities, and measurable outcomes.

The session highlighted four pillars of innovation success—Strategy, Discipline, Capacity, and Performance—as key enablers of effective innovation management. Participants were additionally engaged on the need to translate ideas into practical solutions that deliver measurable value and strengthen organizational competitiveness.

The training is scheduled to run through 5 June 2026 and will cover innovation capabilities, processes, tools, infrastructure, and best practices for implementing ISO 56001 and ISO 56002 standards.

[Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) @KENIAupdates]

Happy Madaraka day!

#KeNIA #EnablingInnovation #MadarakaDay2026

[Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) @KENIAupdates]

Today, Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) represented Kenya at the Entrepreneurial Executive Leadership Workshop #EELW2026 in Cape Town, South Africa

KeNIA CEO, @tomwansa , joined university leaders, policymakers, and industry stakeholders from across Africa under the theme: “From Policy to Impact: Driving Implementation and Measurable Outcomes in Entrepreneurial Universities.”

Dr. Omwansa underscored the importance of structured implementation systems that accelerate the translation of research into market-ready solutions, scalable enterprises, and intellectual property-driven growth.

The engagement reinforced the growing role of entrepreneurial universities in advancing Africa’s innovation, industrialisation, and knowledge-based economies, while strengthening collaboration between academia, government, industry, and startups.

Through such continental engagements, KeNIA continues to advance innovation-commercialisation pathways and strategic partnerships that support sustainable economic transformation in Kenya and across Africa.

#r2c #enablingInnovation #EntrepreneurialUniversities

[Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) @KENIAupdates]

It's a wrap for R2C Cohort 4 week 1!
We wrapped up the final day of training with inspiring pitching sessions from the innovators of R2C Cohort 4.

The pitches showcased bold ideas and creativity. Congratulations to all the innovators for confidently sharing solutions with the potential to create real impact.

#KeNIA

[Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) @KENIAupdates]

A great pitch is not just about what you say, it is about the story you tell.
R2C Cohort 4|| Day 5

The first session kicked off with an insightful and engaging pitching recap led by Yvonne Njeri, equipping participants with the essential skills needed to communicate their ideas with clarity, confidence and purpose.

Here are the key highlights:

1. A winning pitch must have five essential elements, a clear problem statement that articulates who is suffering and why it matters, because no problem means no pitch. It must have a compelling solution that is simple, specific and memorable. It must demonstrate evidence and credibility through data, user feedback or a prototype tested against reality. It must show a viable business or impact model that answers who pays, who benefits and how it scales. In addition, it must close with a bold, specific ask because vague asks get vague responses.

2. Strong presentations builds trust and engagement. Body language communicates confidence before you even speak and your presence matters as much as your words. Participants were guided on posture, eye contact and presence standing tall with open posture, maintaining steady eye contact and ensuring calm posture creates authority. On gestures and movement, participants learnt to use natural hand gestures to reinforce points, match facial expressions to their message and move with purpose. On managing nervous habits, the key takeaways were to slow down speech, reduce filler words, avoid fidgeting and practice by recording yourself.

3. Investors do not just invest in ideas. They invest in business models that create, deliver and capture value. A strong pitch tells the full story in three acts; create value by showing the problem, the unique solution and the value created; deliver value by showing who your customers are, how you reach them and how you build relationships and capture value by demonstrating how you make money, your pricing strategy and why your model is sustainable and scalable.

#KeNIA #EnablingInnovation

[Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) @KENIAupdates]

R2C Cohort 4|| Day 4

The last session was led by Joram Mwinamo, CEO of @SNDBX_space Ubuntu , who shared powerful insights on the entrepreneurial journey and the challenges researchers face when turning ideas into businesses. He highlighted the common mistakes startups make building in isolation without engaging customers, seeking perfection in the MVP, trying to do too many things at once, or falling in love with the product rather than the customer problem. Joram Mwinamo emphasized that true success comes from listening to customers, validating ideas and adapting quickly. He concluded by addressing the hurdles researchers encounter in selling, gaining traction, managing administration, attracting talent, ensuring compliance and mobilizing capital. To overcome these, he encouraged innovators to maintain research rigor while applying lean startup methodology, balancing structured inquiry with agile product development.

#KeNIA #EnablingInnovation

[Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) @KENIAupdates]

R2C Cohort 4||Day 4
During our second online session,Evgeniy Sesitsky from the World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO delivered an insightful presentation on the role of intellectual property in transforming innovation into commercially viable solutions. He highlighted WIPO’s Inventor Assistance Program (IAP), which provides free patent and commercialization support to inventors and small businesses, enabling them to protect their innovations, access new markets, attract investors and build sustainable ventures. The session also emphasized the importance of strengthening innovation ecosystems through mentorship, training, technology transfer, and strategic IP management, reinforcing how intellectual property can accelerate innovation and drive economic growth across Africa.

[Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) @KENIAupdates]

RT @KENIAupdates: During our second online session,Evgeniy Sesitsky from the World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO delivered an i…

[Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) @KENIAupdates]

Happening today at 2:30pm EAT!

[Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) @KENIAupdates]

Why do technically sound innovations fail? Why do useful inventions struggle to get adopted? Why do researchers overestimate user need?

Kicked off the day with a powerful session on design thinking facilitated by design thinking coach Stephen Kagwathi
The session walked participants through the five stages of the Design Thinking Framework; Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test highlighting that the process is iterative and that innovators can loop back at any stage. Two powerful tools were introduced: the How Might We (HMW) statement, which reframes commercialization constraints as opportunities and the Point of View (POV) Statement, which anchors solutions in the reality of a real adopter, buyer or decision-maker.
Stephen Kagwathi also highlighted the common traps that researchers fall into that is Analysis Paralysis, Solution-First thinking and prototype Discomfort. He also offered practical ways to push through each one.
Concluded the session with a powerful reframe on science asks what is true. Design Thinking asks what is useful, desirable and viable for this specific human, right now.

#KeNIA #EnablingInnovation

[Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) @KENIAupdates]

Why do technically sound innovations fail? Why do useful inventions struggle to get adopted? Why do researchers overestimate user need?

Kicked off the day with a powerful session on design thinking facilitated by design thinking coach Stephen Kagwathi
The session walked participants through the five stages of the Design Thinking Framework; Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test highlighting that the process is iterative and that innovators can loop back at any stage. Two powerful tools were introduced: the How Might We (HMW) statement, which reframes commercialization constraints as opportunities and the Point of View (POV) Statement, which anchors solutions in the reality of a real adopter, buyer or decision-maker.
Stephen Kagwathi also highlighted the common traps that researchers fall into that is Analysis Paralysis, Solution-First thinking and prototype Discomfort. He also offered practical ways to push through each one.
Concluded the session with a powerful reframe on science asks what is true. Design Thinking asks what is useful, desirable and viable for this specific human, right now.

#KeNIA #EnablingInnovation

[Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) @KENIAupdates]

Happening today at 2:30pm EAT!

[Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) @KENIAupdates]

This month’s #KeNIAWebinarSeries is here!
We spotlight Vertical Lake, a Kenyan climate-tech & sustainable aquaculture startup revolutionising organic protein production through its innovative vertical freshwater “lake” system.

The company integrates circular bio-filtration & regenerative aquaculture to produce premium organic fish, fish-skin collagen, protein derivatives & natural bio-fertilisers delivering a zero-emission, water-efficient, waste-reusing ecosystem.

We are honoured to host Ms. Wendy Cynthia, Chief Operations Officer at Vertical Lake, who will share insights into their innovation journey, lessons learned, and the future of sustainable aquaculture.

The session will also explore opportunities for mentorship, collaboration, and investment within the innovation ecosystem.
Join us and be part of the conversation shaping the future of sustainable food systems.

Date: 28th May 2026
Time: 2:30-3:30 PM EAT

Register at: https://t.co/8zj8gxM0eX

[Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) @KENIAupdates]

Protecting your innovation is just as important as building it.
We wrapped up the day with an exciting session on strategies for protecting intellectual property (patents, trademarks) and exploring licensing models with Sammy Ziro Lewa
Here are the key insights!
Your innovation can be protected in multiple ways:
1. Patents - Protect new inventions; stop others from making, selling or using your invention
2. Trademarks - Protect your product names, logos and jingles
3. Industrial Designs - Protect the external appearance, shape, packaging and colors of your product
4. Copyright - Protect original creative and artistic works
https://t.co/RgusAV30Za Secrets - Protect confidential information and can be licensed to generate revenue
IP protection is about fairness to creators and inventors, economic incentive for creativity and public benefit through disclosure of new technologies and products.
A patent protects a new solution to a problem in the field of technology. To qualify, your invention must be new, inventive and capable of being made in the industry. Protection lasts 20 years subject to payment of annual fees.
Utility Models For innovations that may not qualify for full patent protection - improvements and adaptations that give utility, advantage or technical effect. Protection lasts 10 years.
Industrial Designs Protect the shape, ornamental features and appearance of your product the features that make products attractive to consumers and add commercial value. Protection lasts up to 15 years.
Trademarks Distinctive signs that identify your goods or services and distinguish them from competitors. Protection lasts 10 years, renewable after every 10 years.
Exploiting Your IP Assets Owning IP is just the beginning.
You can monetise it through:
1.Setting up your own plant
2. Licensing - Exclusive, Non-Exclusive or Sole Licensee
3. Assignment - Outright sale of IP rights
4. Franchising
5. Merchandising

#KeNIA #EnablingInnovation

[Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) @KENIAupdates]

Just wrapped the second session on market research and customer validation with Enos Masinde Weswa, country director UK-Kenya Tech Hub.

He focused on helping participants systematically gather and analyze information about customers, competitors, industry trends, pricing, market size, and consumer behavior in order to make informed business decisions. Guiding them on how to define customer segments, conduct surveys and interviews, carry out field observations, analyze market gaps and evaluate existing solutions within the market.

Key highlights:
4 Stages every innovation follows:
1.Solve - Does the problem exist? Can it be solved?
2.Sell - Can you make money?
3.Grow - Can you repeat and get referrals?
4.Scale - Can you repeat this at scale?

1.Before building, test your assumptions. A good experiment board identifies: Customer, Value Topics, Experiment, Success Criteria and Learning. Get Out of The Building and validate with real people!
2.The pricing, revenue and cost structures must accommodate sufficient value capturing. Value creation starts with understanding customer needs, innovating and building profitable offerings. Value capture means setting value-based price levels, selling on value and executing price.
3. The critical gap between early adopters and the early majority. To cross the chasm, a company has to transform from a Sales-Driven Company to a User-Driven Company.
4.Understanding how customers move from Awareness → Findability → Reputation → Conversion → Advocacy is critical to building a sustainable growth strategy.
5. Track what matters passersby, customers, conversion rates, price and orders per customer. Measure week by week, analyze what worked and what did not, then design and execute your next experiment.
6. Technology can transform your offering, pricing, distribution and cost of production and inventory. Linking technology trends to market needs is the key to innovation success.

#KeNIA #EnablingInnovation #R2CCOHORT4

[Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) @KENIAupdates]

Who benefits from your innovation? Who is left out?

Day 3: R2C COHORT 4

For the first session with we focused on GEDSI an approach that helps us understand the importance of equal rights and opportunities for all people, regardless of social identity. It addresses the unequal power relations between social groups that cause exclusion and is key to creating conditions for people to live a life they value, where their needs are met and human rights are protected.

Here are the key highlights:

1.GEDSI Questions in the R2C Journey Every step of the commercialisation journey must ask:

Access - Who knows about it?

Who influences the process?

Participation - Whose views have been heard and included?

Benefits - Who benefits from the outcomes?

2.The GEDSI Continuum Every innovator operates on a spectrum from Exploitative to Neutral to Sensitive to Transformative. The goal is to move every innovation towards transformation actively addressing harmful norms, roles and relations and promoting equality and inclusion.

3.Just One Thing You do not have to do everything at once. Start with just one GEDSI action- consult low-income communities, create opportunities for persons with disabilities, or ensure your marketing reaches different market segments.

#KeNIA #EnablingInnovation