Innovate Ventures

We’ve had a successful 2016 Accelerator programme and we’re excited and pumped for 2017. We would like to expand the programme, invite more ambitious young entrepreneurs, visionaries and partners into our programme and network. If you’ve a great idea/business, get in touch and Apply here If you’d like to partner with us and help create our vision of a Silicon Horn – get in touch here info@innovate.so We’re always looking for company founder/ seasoned entrepreneurs who would like to mentor and participate in the success of a small startup. If you would like to participate as a mentor – please send us a small bio/link to your LinkedIn profile here info@innovate.so

When Mohamed Abdilahi Dahir finished his high school education at 17, he left his home in Somaliland to learn English in Malaysia, before studying medicine in China. But nearly three years into his medical degree, his father died, and Dahir could no longer afford to study. He spent the next three years working in various Asian countries – doing odd jobs such as Chinese translation for overseas Somali businesspeople. He decided to return home in 2013 when, he says, he no longer had any idea of what he wanted to do with his life. In the beginning he felt that he was a failure, and barely left the house to avoid questions from neighbours about why he wasn’t a doctor. However, Dahir (now 26) has no regrets. His return to Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, helped him to see the many entrepreneurial opportunities that existed there. He started reading about start-ups online, before enrolling in a business administration programme at a local university. And towards the end of 2015 ...