Partnerships
Back the work. Build the opportunity.
Invest in a company, fund a venture lab or pilot a better service. We bring the team and the company building; you bring capital, customers or a mandate for change.
Three ways to build together.
Choose the route that fits your goal: an investment, a new company or a service tested with customers.
Invest in a company
Back a founding team at its next stage. Review the customers, economics and intended impact, then invest at the company level.
For funds and investors
Fund a venture lab
Build companies around a need your mandate serves. Fund customer validation and development, with a budget and outcomes to measure.
For DFIs and foundations
Commission a pilot
Test a better service with your customers. We bring product development and operations; together we set the scope and review the results.
For banks and enterprisesMore than capital. The capacity to build.
Turning a promising need into an investable company takes a team, customers and operating evidence. Partners review that evidence before each new commitment.
Capital at the start
We invest at incorporation and hold a minority stake, so our return arrives when the company’s does.
A team in the room
Design, engineering, sales and operations beside the founder for six months at Makerspace Nairobi.
Evidence at each gate
Customer conversations, a decision at month one, then product use and sales tests decide the next commitment.
Build54, our talent pipeline, connects the studio with builders and prospective founders.
Explore our companiesClear terms before work begins.
Every partnership has a defined scope, agreed responsibilities and a way to review the results.
What to bring
- Who you serve, and the gap in services, livelihoods or paid work you want closed.
- The company, pilot or mandate you want to explore.
- Your commercial and impact diligence requirements.
- Your decision process, budget and the role you want to play.
What we agree before work begins
- Ownership, fees or funding, and who is responsible for what.
- Starting measures, targets and reporting dates.
- Rights, consent, conflicts of interest and any approvals required.
- What happens if the evidence says stop.
Agree the goal. Review the results.
A shared plan, a funded scope and regular decisions based on the work.
- 01
Find the fit
First conversationTell us who you serve and what you can bring. We say which route fits and which company or need it applies to.
- 02
Agree work and funding
Before work beginsSet the budget, milestones, responsibilities, rights and the measures we will report.
- 03
Deliver and review
Milestones and reviewBuild, pilot or invest. Compare outcomes with targets, report costs and limits, then decide what to expand, change or stop.
Tell us your goal.
Who you serve, what should change, and what you can bring: capital, a mandate, customers or a pilot.