Outbox Hub

The launchpad for new ideas

We help new and upcoming African entrepreneurs interested in using technology to build high growth companies with workspace, mentorship, and training programs. Through our partnerships, we help them raise money for their ventures and access markets. We also work with students, developers, researchers and organizations to build inclusive communities that entrepreneurs can tap into for talent and collaboration.

Our mission is to provide the entrepreneurship, innovation and technology infrastructure that supports African entrepreneurs through the growth of inclusive communities that foster talent and create value where we operate.

As a social business, we inject any profits back into increasing impact. We value sustainability, solving real problems, collaboration, openness and transparency, commitment and personal excellence.

Why are we here?

Let us give you the example of Uganda where we currently operate:

Youth unemployment in Uganda is the highest in Africa. A recent study, Lost opportunities? Gaps in youth policy and programming in Uganda published by ActionAid, put youth unemployment at 62%. Uganda also has the world’s largest percentage of young people under 30, according to the 2012 State of Uganda population report by the UN Population fund.

It is estimated that more than 40,000 young people graduate from Ugandan Universities each year. Yet the market can provide only 8,000 jobs annually.

Causes of youth unemployment are believed to be multifaceted, ranging from an inadequate supply side of jobs, insufficient employable skills (youth possess skills that are not compatible with available jobs) and high rates of labor force growth at 4.7% per annum.

Government interventions have included establishment of a Youth Livelihood programme to offer startup capital and skills development through the introduction of entrepreneurship in the school curriculum. However, these interventions have been implemented piecemeal. More to that, the skills taught have largely remained mismatched with labor demands and theoretical as most lack the infrastructure for undertaking practical lessons.

We strongly believe that the use of technology in various disciplines presents a great start to alleviating the endemic youth unemployment problem. Within that context, we decided to build the infrastructure that would effectively support the youth to easily get started. Outbox is a hybrid of an incubator, innovation lab and co-working space.

Overview

Website	Visit website
Location	Kampala, Central Region, Uganda

Targets	Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Congo, Democratic Republic of the, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Africa, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Sectors	Retail and wholesale, Agribusiness, Automotive, Banking, Clean technology, Computer hardware, Computer software, Construction, Creative, media and entertainment, Diversified services, E-commerce, EdTech, Education, Electronics, Financial services, Food and beverage, Healthcare, HealthTech, Insurance, Internet, Leisure and travel, Manufacturing, Mobile, Real estate, Renewable energy, Telecom, Transport and logistics, Utilities, Waste management and recycling, Water, sanitation and hygiene