Francis Stevens George

Francis Stevens George: Founder and CEO Innovation SL and GEN Sierra Leone MD
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.
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.
Global Economic Development
His impact extends beyond startups into global economic development. As a former consultant for the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Ghana. Francis guided banks, hotels and a pharmaceutical company in Ghana and Nigeria in leveraging the internet for sales, marketing and investments. He was a consultant for NORAD on scaling African startups with Norwegian technologies and was a Founding Strategic Adviser at Pangea, a Norwegian accelerator connecting African startups with investors.
Sierra Leone
In December 2016, driven by an unrelenting vision to revolutionize Sierra Leone’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, Francis returned to the country after 37 years abroad. In 2017, he founded Innovation SL, now Sierra Leone’s foremost Entrepreneurship Support Organization (ESO) and Innovation & Technology Management firm. At the same he set up GEN SL. Innovation SL and GEN SL run joint programs to build the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Sierra Leone
Innovation SL & 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
Through Innovation SL, he has forged collaborations with key stakeholders, including the European Union Delegation, ILO, UNDP Sierra Leone, the IOM, the World Bank, Freetown City Council, and Orange Sonatel.
One the most well-known programs of Innovation SL is Freetown Pitch Night. Freetown Pitch Night is a platform for entrepreneurs in Sierra Leone to pitch their business ideas, prototypes, or startups to an audience that includes investors, business professionals, and other stakeholders. It provides a space for startups to gain visibility, receive feedback, and potentially secure funding or partnerships. The event fosters a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation in Sierra Leone, encouraging networking and collaboration among entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts.
With an unyielding commitment to innovation, Francis Stevens George continues to shape Sierra Leone’s future—building ecosystems, nurturing startups, and driving digital transformation.