About Startup Uganda

The national association of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Support Organisations, building a stronger, more connected startup ecosystem across Uganda.

Our Story

Startup Uganda is the national association of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Support Organisations (ESOs). We were founded in 2019 by eight pioneering member organisations, with support from the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), on a single conviction: that the organisations building Uganda's startup ecosystem are stronger, more impactful, and better resourced when they work together than when they work alone.

Our Vision

A modern and prosperous Uganda where innovators and entrepreneurs can access the support they need to start, grow, and scale their businesses.

Our Mission

To strengthen our member organisations, build a culture of collaboration across the ecosystem, and create a more enabling environment for innovation and entrepreneurship across Uganda.

Where we stand in 2026

Startup Uganda's current five-year programme runs from 2026 to 2030, funded by Enabel (the Belgian Development Agency), the European Union, and Belgium as part of the WeWork: Green and Decent Jobs for Youth initiative. This programme focuses on four outcomes: stronger ESOs, a more collaborative sector, deeper government engagement, and greater institutional sustainability for the association itself.

We operate with an independent Secretariat based in Kampala, accountable to our member organisations and to the standards of governance set out in our Strategic Plan (2026–2030).

Our six strategic priorities

These guide everything the Secretariat and our members do across the programme period.

  1. Increase investment in and through ESOs.
  2. Strengthen the institutional capacity of member organisations.
  3. Engage government for an enabling policy environment for entrepreneurs.
  4. Represent the diversity of ESOs operating across Uganda.
  5. Build systems and culture for genuine collaboration among members.
  6. Function as the research and knowledge management engine for the sector.

A note on our founding

Startup Uganda was co-founded in 2019 by Jean Makki Kukunda, CK Japheth, and Richard Zulu, alongside five other founding member ESOs. The association was revamped in 2026 under a new strategic plan and a strengthened Secretariat structure, with a clear mandate toward long-term institutional autonomy beyond any single funding relationship.