The Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) celebrated over 15 years of advancing innovation and entrepreneurship by unveiling its 15-Year Impact Report at the “Innovation in Global Growth Markets: Prosperity Through Entrepreneurship” Conference held recently in Cambridge, Massachusetts. During the event, the Center also strengthened its commitment to driving innovation across Africa by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Republic of Botswana.
President Dr. Mokgweetsi EK Masisi of Botswana delivered a keynote address at the conference. He underscored the critical role entrepreneurship can play in unlocking prosperity for emerging economies.
The Legatum Center’s 15-year impact report highlights and showcases the groundbreaking work of fellows leading the way toward this very goal.
Nurturing entrepreneurial ventures
In Kenya, Joyce Kamade, (Foundry Fellow 2023, and Kevin Kung, Student Fellow 2015), co-founded Safi Organics, with the vision to eradicate poverty among rural farmers. To date, Safi Organics has created 600 jobs and impacted over 10,000 poor farmers, increasing their incomes by 50%, while increasing their yields by 30%. Caitlin Dolkart (Legatum Student Fellow 2016), co-founded Flare, which tackles the challenge of emergency medical care in underserved areas by providing people with a centralized platform and network of ambulances, ensuring quicker and safer access to critical services. Today, Flare is the leading provider of emergency services in Kenya, serving 2 million customers with a response time that is ten times faster than before.
Speetar stands out as a Libyan-based AI-enabled telemedicine platform founded by Mohamed Aburawi (Student Fellow ‘21). This innovative platform addresses the critical need for accessible and affordable healthcare in conflict-affected communities, where marginalized and displaced individuals often struggle to access quality medical services. Speetar has already made a significant impact, serving close to 2,000,000 users to date.
In Nigeria, MDaaS Global is bringing modern, tech-enabled healthcare to clinically underserved communities across Africa. This venture currently serves over 260,000 patients and has established 1,300 clinical partners in 25 Nigerian cities.
Flourishing alumni body
These fellows are alumni of the Legatum Center’s two fellowship programs. The student fellowship for MIT students includes 69 alumni who have focused on building ventures in Africa—a remarkable 29 of these ventures are still growing today. The Foundry Fellowship made up of 33 advanced-stage entrepreneurs, was launched in 2021 as the first-of-its-kind program for well-established African entrepreneurs who are committed to leading the acceleration and interconnection of Africa’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems. The program includes mentorship, leadership training, and experiential tours of innovation ecosystems to define the next stage in their entrepreneurial and leadership journeys.
