'Startup Garage' fosters African startups

Innovation Hubs opened in Pretoria (2002) and Gabarone (2006), but the overwhelming majority of Africa's hubs have launched since 2010. Why this surge in the creation of such support facilities? ArsTechnica asks - and answers - It's time. Young people, maturing education systems, and growing mobile phone services-and-usage form a perfect storm in Africa. Run by Dane Kresten Buch, Startup Garage Nairobi embodies this trend.

The Startup Garage, Buch told Ars, came about "to bring together the African startups, to create an environment for innovation and discussion, where everybody else is also starting their own company, which can be very hard when launching a startup." The Garage offers most of its 180 working spaces, connectivity and conference rooms to individuals, businesses and, Buch said, "companies and people that we think can make the space stronger for the startups." The focus is on investment. One of the Garage's goals is to provide a space, both literal and figurative, to which outside investors with an interest in -- or a curiosity about -- Africa can come and see what's being done.

The Startup Garage will for sure benefit from outside business angels in tech, said Buch, because they understand the space better, are willing to invest early and are able to help the entrepreneurs much better than investors with no startup experience. "The mobile Web is a very new opportunity in Africa," Buch told Ars, "and Africa, of course, doesn't have these types of investors, so getting them to come [to Kenya from overseas] will be of great benefit for an ecosystem that lacks experienced investors." Outside angels are welcome to come and look at our startups here or join our seed fund."

Read the full article on http://arstechnica.com.