Ongoza

A Non-profit

How This Works

As part of the TRANSFORM Support Hub, you will learn how to advance your career while getting hands on experience with organizations like this one.

Organization Details

Ongoza is an accelerator for early-stage high-growth young entrepreneurs in Kenya. We provide one year of customized weekly business coaching, market linkages and access to debt financing in order to propel their growth. Our name, the imperative "Lead"​ in Kiswahili, represents our appeal for young entrepreneurs to become the business leaders of tomorrow.

Impact Story

800,000 young people enter the Kenyan labor market every year vying for 80,000 formal jobs. Without opportunities, the majority are forced to start small businesses. With many lacking access to the skills, connections, and capital necessary for success, almost half fail within their first year.

Ongoza exists to address this challenge. Business courses are often too broad and consultants are often too expensive. That’s why we came up with a tailored, holistic solution focused entirely on the emerging needs of entrepreneurs. Ongoza combines the best of all worlds by providing an initial business fundamentals course, one-on-one business consulting, networking opportunities, and access to low-cost debt financing. We measure our success by seeing businesses in our portfolio grow.

With offices in Nairobi and Nakuru, we consult with entrepreneurs across a diverse range of sectors, including manufacturing, agribusiness, retail, food and beverage, media, and technology. Regardless of the sector, what unites our entrepreneurs is their grit, hustle, and vision to scale their businesses.