About GEN in Uganda

GEN began working in Uganda in 2008 when it organized Uganda’s first Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) campaign in partnership with Enterprise Uganda and the UNCTAD Empretec Centre. The initial campaign aimed to raise awareness of entrepreneurship and convene the burgeoning entrepreneurial community by pairing awareness workshops with practical enterprise training. Events featured a series of sessions led by business experts and local entrepreneurs for early-stage founders. The campaign’s early success galvanized ecosystem leaders into joining the movement, laying the foundation for almost two decades of institution building.

As the campaign matured, GEN drew a widening circle of development partners, ecosystem builders, and corporations into a broad-based coalition. GEW collaborators—such as the innovation hub Outbox, the Mastercard Foundation, the U.S. Embassy in Uganda, and the multimedia company Vision Group—expanded the campaign's operational reach and media visibility. As the number of activities steadily grew, GEW became a national rallying point where entrepreneurs, financiers, and policymakers convened to cultivate local talent and open doors for first-time founders. Additionally, the coalition lobbied the government to reduce the barriers entrepreneurs face when starting and growing a business.

Each year, GEN organized GEW in Uganda around a distinct national theme. The 2023 edition, “Thriving Together,” convened partners for a successful one-day conference at Hotel Africana in Kampala. In 2024, under the theme “Entrepreneurship is for Everyone,” the conference was preceded by a launch breakfast that mobilized partners from across the ecosystem. The 2025 campaign, “Together We Build — Fueling Uganda's 10X Growth,” marked a step-change in scale. Because previous campaigns had generated so much interest, GEN organized a September planning meeting for dozens of partner organizations at the National BDS Centre of Excellence in Butabika. That November, thousands of people participated in more than 100 events. GEN also added a second day to the main conference, which drew over 1,700 participants—including a large number of investors, bankers, business development service providers, and government officials.

Because the annual campaign had grown into a year-round movement, GEN established a national affiliate, GEN Uganda, to provide structural support for founders and to connect them to cross-border programs, policy advisory, and entrepreneurship research. Its managing director, Mary Odongo, is a chartered accountant who had coordinated GEW in Uganda for more than a decade with Enterprise Uganda. Sam Iga Zinunula serves as Chair of the Board, and GEN Uganda draws upon a wider leadership team that includes Derrick Kalumba and Abid Weere Businge.

GEN Uganda has made inclusive participation a defining feature of its programming. The 2025 GEW conference featured a “Together Women Build” panel spotlighting women founders and the unique finance, caregiving, and mentorship challenges they navigate. Moderated by Rosemary Mutyabule of Enterprise Uganda, the panel featured Estella Kabagaya, founder of Mama Children's Village Ltd. Notably, Ms. Kabagaya’s company provided on-site childcare during the conference so that parent-entrepreneurs could fully participate—a practical measure reflecting the campaign's conviction that Uganda cannot reach its growth ambitions if women and families remain on the sidelines.

GEN has steadily drawn Uganda's government leadership into the campaign. The Honorable Evelyn Anite, State Minister of Finance for Investment and Privatization, opened the 2025 GEW conference as the guest of honor. GEN deepened the policy conversation with Joseph Enyimu, Commissioner for Economic Development Policy and Research at the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, who tied the national Tenfold Growth Strategy to concrete opportunities for micro, small, and medium enterprises. A year earlier, the Honorable Henry Musasizi, Minister of State for General Duties, joined Commissioner Enyimu at the 2024 GEW conference to align the government's agri-industrialization, tourism, minerals, and services strategy with the needs of small firms.

GEN also connects Ugandan founders to its global programs, most visibly through the Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC)—a worldwide pitch competition launched by GEN in 2019 that offers training, mentorship, and a share of $1 million in prizes. In 2024, GEN Uganda ran the national EWC competition alongside Geuka Africa as national coordinator, with Enterprise Uganda and KII-Impact as supporting partners. Startups advancing to the global rounds included Uganix (founded by Joan Rukundo Nalubega), Waape, and Mpampe Digital Services (co-founded by Ronnie Atuhaire).

Furthermore, GEN has built a pathway from local competitions to the continental stage through its regional GEC+ Africa gathering in Cape Town, South Africa. Waape represented Uganda at the 2023 GEC+ Africa competition, and GEN Uganda has since run national pitch competitions with Enterprise Uganda to select the country's continental representatives. In 2026, that competition drew more than 100 applications. Helton Traders—founded by Hellen Munyasa, whose venture converts plastic waste into sewing thread and recycled fabric—emerged as the overall winner, securing Uganda's place at GEC+ Africa 2026.

GEN's global leadership has championed Uganda directly. In February 2025, Jeff Hoffman, chair of GEN's global board, led coaching sessions in Kampala to help Ugandan founders build scalable business models, attract talent, and grow their ventures. He was joined by Ms. Odongo of GEN Uganda, Charles Ocici of Enterprise Uganda, and Charles Mbire of MTN Uganda. GEN President Jonathan Ortmans has also advised Ugandan startups at GEC+ Africa, helping them connect with investors and experts to enter international markets.

GEN maintains an expanding network of relationships across Uganda's ecosystem. It works alongside Enterprise Uganda, Vision Group's Pakasa platform, the Mastercard Foundation, the U.S. Embassy in Uganda, the Uganda Revenue Authority, and the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to link local founders with capital, markets, and policy support. In a country long recognized for its high rate of early-stage entrepreneurial activity, GEN seeks to power the country's tenfold-growth ambitions by helping these founders scale. Mary Odongo frames GEN’s mission plainly: “GEN is a global movement that connects innovators, creators, and change-makers. In Uganda, GEN is the engine linking our entrepreneurial spirit directly to the national 10X growth platform.”