Francis Stevens George

Managing Director of GEN SL.
Francis Stevens George is a Sierra Leonean/Norwegian entrepreneur, economist, innovation ecosystem builder, and accomplished author. He is the Founder and CEO of Innovation SL, the leading entrepreneurship support organization (ESO) in Sierra Leone. His work focuses on fostering startups, innovation, and entrepreneurship, particularly emphasizing technology, finance, sustainable development, and women in entrepreneurship.
Francis is a pioneering entrepreneur, innovation strategist, and ecosystem architect with a bold vision for transforming entrepreneurial landscapes. With over 25 years of experience spanning multiple industries and continents, he has consistently redefined the boundaries of innovation, creativity, and leadership in emerging markets.
Early Impact and Vision
In 2002, Francis Stevens George gained international attention when he initiated an ambitious project to rehabilitate former child soldiers in Sierra Leone by training them in computer literacy and programming skills. His goal was to establish Sierra Leone as a regional hub for information technology, particularly in software programming and outsourcing. His belief that information literacy is critical to overcoming social and economic challenges highlights his longstanding commitment to leveraging technology for development and rehabilitation. Already then, George foresaw that internet access in Africa would predominantly be via satellite, demonstrating early insight into future technology trends.
Entrepreneurship
As a serial entrepreneur and trailblazer, Francis has founded six companies, including E-trade Afrika, West African Doctors Network, Mednews, Sabi Learning, Innovation Africa, and F&F Solar. In 2002, he launched E-trade Afrika, Norway’s first e-commerce platform dedicated to empowering African SMEs—an early testament to his ability to foresee and capitalize on digital transformation trends. West African Doctors Network was also pioneering. This was probably the first private sector portal created to connect doctors and health care professionals. The website provided access to open-source journals, and telemedicine.
His ventures demonstrate his unique ability to identify market gaps and craft innovative solutions that drive economic progress.

Francis is not just a business founder; he is a catalyst for startup success. He has played an instrumental role in advising and scaling numerous ventures, including Grunderneshus, Nomad Media, Fronter, Moota Telecom, Bright Products, and Travelgate.
His expertise in incubation and acceleration led to the creation of GründernesHus in Norway—a hybrid incubator, accelerator, and co-working space that has nurtured countless startups. In 2001, Francis was part of the first commercial incubator in Oslo- Efjørd. In 2012, Francis was a co-founder of GründernesHus, a combined Incubator, Accelerator and Co-working space. In the same year, Francis was the Host for Global Entrepreneurship Week Norway.

In December 2016, Francis moved back to Sierra Leone after 37 years, with the sole aim of building an entrepreneurial ecosystem that would support the growth and success of a digital economy. His focus has been on (1) leveraging exponential technologies in Agriculture, Finance and e-commerce; (2) innovative financing for startups. In March 2017, he set up Innovation SL as an Entrepreneurship Support Organisation (ESO) and Innovation Technology Management company. At the same time he began establishing GEN Sierra Leone. Today GEN SL organises a monthly event- The Freetown Pitch Night, GEW and co manages an incubator and accelerator.

Innovation SL and GEN SL: Driving Entrepreneurship in Sierra Leone
As CEO of Innovation SL, Francis Stevens George has significantly contributed to building Sierra Leone’s entrepreneurship ecosystem by:
• Providing mentorship, funding, and support to startups in key industries such as agritech, fintech, circular economy, renewable energy, and digital innovation.
• Launching business incubation and acceleration programs to help early-stage entrepreneurs scale their ventures.
• Promoting access to finance, including crowdfunding initiatives, to enable entrepreneurs to secure funding for their startups.
• Advocating for policy reforms to create an enabling environment for business and innovation.
• Harness exponential technologies to transform agriculture, finance, and e-commerce
• Develop innovative financing models to fuel startup growth
• Strengthen incubation and acceleration programs as pillars of national economic transformation