Technology

Kenya’s Moringa School makes list of African start-ups in race for Sh100m

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Moringa School co-founder Frank Tamre. PHOTO | COURTESY

Kenyan start-up Moringa School sits in a small classroom at the Nairobi Garage on Ngong Road.

Moringa School is gaining global recognition because of the number of highly skilled developers it churns out every four months.

 The institution is set to compete with its global peers at the Challenge Cup Africa Finals in Washington DC in June. The start-up beat more than 100 competitors in the continent, making the list of the top five finalists.

Moringa is among the start-ups in the race for the Sh100 million cash price. Morocco’s tech start-up GoMobile, wearable device maker Hakeeme, health start-up Moldiag by Mascir and Ghana’s mobile money start-up Zeepay are also in the race.

Roelof Assies, general manager at Philips East Africa — a partner in the challenge — said: “It was great to see 30 diverse start-ups showcasing innovation with impact in each category of the 1776 Challenge Cup. All the winners demonstrate true innovation and have the potential to make a significant impact in their respective areas.”

Philips East Africa sponsors the 1776 Global Challenge Cup in the healthcare industry, a move aimed at supporting local start-ups, fostering innovation and collaboration among countries.

The initiative is a global incubator and seed fund that focuses on startups in the most broken, entrenched industries and sectors that impact millions of lives every day.

Developers who participate in the challenge showcase their ideas to a global audience, creating funding and partnership opportunities as well as boosting their skills setting stage for them to expand internationally.

Audrey Cheng and Frank Tamre, both co-founders of the school, said the programmes at Moringa are intense and try to change the trainees’ mindset and transform them into developers who code with a purpose.

“At the end of each week of the course students deliver a project based on their learning. Graduates have a portfolio of apps and websites to support their job search,” says Cheng.

The school charges a fee that is flexibly paid in a long-term plan, depending on the student’s capability.

Moringa is popular for connecting skilled developers to Kenya’s rapidly expanding technology community and top technology companies.

“The demand for quality, talented developers in Kenya is very high. We started this mission after our door-to-door research conducted in universities, now we are filling the gap that is notably present,” explained Cheng.