Business Summit to be Held in Nairobi

NAIROBI, Kenya

Tech entrepreneur, founder of Wananchi Online and Executive Director of Ignite Consulting, Njeri Rionge, on Tuesday set in motion plans for the ‘Scaling Your Business Upwards’ summit, at an evening event held at The Junction’s Business Lounge.

The two-day summit is designed to inspire Kenya’s budding entrepreneurs and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as they search for sustainable business growth. The Summit, which past attendees have likened to completing an “MBA in two days”, will be held at the Ole Sereni Hotel in Nairobi on 17 & 18 September.

“This country and this continent need a new type of conversation,” she said. “The high-minded ideals of the Kenya Vision 2030 programme marks the start but we need to turn ideas to action on the ground. I am excited about the potential of the Summit to unite first-class speakers and visionaries with aspiring entrepreneurs. Together we will start building a new business future for Kenya.”

Njeri was joined by three of the speakers at the Summit, each of whom spoke briefly about the topics they would be covering. Njeri Mucheru, Founder of Mucheru-Oyatta and Advocates, spoke movingly of the need for integrity and ethics not just in the work place but also at home.

Andrew Karanja, Founder and MD of Agillient Insurance Brokers, promised to reveal how to use the internet to drive and defend business growth, while Wavinya Mugofwa of Fountain Media gave an animated insight into her speech at the Summit.

Other speakers at the Summit will include: Dr. Gituro Wainaina, Director, Vision 2030 Social & Political Pillar who will talk on impact and opportunities, Mike Macharia, Founder and CEO, Seven Seas Technology on scaling business across Africa – the Seven Seas Story as well as  John Ngumi, Director Investment Banking Africa, Stanbic Bank on Investment Banking, Growth Capital, Mergers and Acquisitions.

Andrea Bohnstedt, Publisher, Ratio Magazine and Africa Assets, will talk on the Challenges and Opportunities of working with Investors, while Godwin Wang’ong’u, Founder and Senior Partner, Wang’ong’u & Company Associates will explore the value of Growth Emerging Market Segment (GEMS) for SMEs on the Nairobi Securities Exchange.

The ‘Scaling Your Business Upwards Summit’ will seek to answer some of the most common questions facing entrepreneurs and SMEs including:  How and where do you fundraise to get the start-up funding you need? How do you attract and retain the right talent to meet your growth needs? What regulatory considerations do you need to take into account? How can you use IT as an enabler to grow your business?  Where is business going next? What is the right marketing sales and customer service strategy for your business?