Syracuse Sun

Traci Geisler, director of Syracuse University Libraries’ Blackstone LaunchPad (LaunchPad), delivered a keynote address and served as an entrepreneurship competition judge at the inaugural Kenya-USA Global Launchpad Initiative (KUGLi) Innovation Summit. The event took place at Kibabii University in Bungoma, Kenya, on August 15-16.

The KUGLi Summit marked the culmination of a technology innovation and entrepreneurship program aimed at fostering multinational ventures among science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) students to tackle global issues through entrepreneurial and creative opportunities.

Initiated in Winter 2023 by Churchill Saoke with support from the U.S. Embassy, the program seeks to promote entrepreneurialism and facilitate partnerships between Kenyan universities and Syracuse University. Throughout Winter and Spring 2024, 131 students from Kenya and the United States engaged in virtual and hybrid training sessions to identify untapped areas for micro-multinational ventures using STEAM-focused solutions. Syracuse University student entrepreneurs collaborated with their Kenyan counterparts to advance several Kenyan student ventures. The Kenyan entrepreneurs were also invited to participate in virtual support services from Syracuse’s LaunchPad, including one-on-one advisory sessions with Traci Geisler, participation in LaunchPad workshops and presentations, and entrepreneurship ideation classes offered by Bruce Kingma, professor of entrepreneurship in the School of Information Studies.

This partnership led to Geisler's invitation to deliver a keynote speech at the Summit in Kenya to student entrepreneurs from five Kenyan universities. The event was attended by Drew Giblin, the USA cultural attaché in Nairobi; Bungoma County Deputy Governor Jannipher Mbatiany; university officials and faculty from Kabibii University, JKUAT University, Great Lakes University of Kisumu; and other business leaders. Geisler addressed topics such as avoiding cash flow problems, market misalignment, and team communication challenges during a startup's initial growth phase. She also participated as a judge for the 14 student teams' business pitches alongside other Kenyan subject matter experts.

“The project is an intensive experience training U.S. and Kenyan university students to develop micro-multinational ventures that employ entrepreneurial solutions to address and resolve global issues,” said Saoke.

The students' business venture ideas targeted social impact initiatives addressing issues like infant malnutrition, financial illiteracy, plastic pollution, water scarcity, inadequate markets for local produce, teen pregnancy, food insecurity, crime among others.

---