Innovation/Tech: Learn more about the differences between the startup scenes in India and Kenya in 2012

Following its interview with VC4Africa, Village Capital director Ross Baird voices its opinion regarding some differences between the startup scenes in India and Kenya. Here is what he said:

“First, the start-up sector is more crowded in Kenya compared to India, with a flood of accelerators, funds, and grant money to start-ups. In some ways, it’s a good thing; we were pushed harder here than anywhere else, while recruiting for our program, to articulate our value proposition to enterprises.

Second, basic technology infrastructure specifically, the M-Pesa payment platform has helped make innovation possible. In Nairobi, I’ve seen a lot of people leveraging what’s already out there (e.g. payment solutions) vs. creating their own systems, something that you see by necessity in India.

Third, entrepreneurs in Kenya are not in the “culture of fundraising” which is often a good thing. In many start-up hubs across the world, entrepreneurs too often define success by how much money they’ve raised. In Nairobi, where investment is rare, and for reasons outlined above successful entrepreneur-investor agreement is rarer, fundraising is off the radar for most Kenyan businesses. Entrepreneurs focus much more on revenue than cash in hand. Finally, the weather and climate are unbeatable Nairobi is much better than Mumbai in the middle of the hot season or the monsoon season!”

In fact, Village Capital aims to provide opportunities to entrepreneurs looking to build successful businesses that create a positive impact on the world.