timbuktoo
timbuktoo, is a pan African initiative of UNDP, which represents a commitment by RBA to leverage
and catalyse the current opportunities in Africa’s startup trends to ensure a sustainable, inclusive, and transformational outcome for youth innovation entrepreneurs in Africa. timbuktoo’s objective is to
establish a USD 1 billion youth innovation financing facility, aimed at achieving, over 10 years:
- 1,000 high-growth startup enterprises scaled across the continent.
- 50 million livelihoods improved directly and/or indirectly.
- USD 10 billion value creation.
About UNIPOD
To bring this bold vision to reality, timbuktoo utilizes a hub and spoke model with 8 thematic Hubs supported by University Pods (UniPods). Hubs are in middle income countries whereas UniPods are being placed in low-income countries. Each hub is run by a Hub Manager, a consortium comprising of vital private stakeholders including incubators, accelerators, venture capital firms, and other financial entities, who oversee two crucial components within the Hub: the Hub’s Venture Builder and the Hub’s Venture Fund.
UniPods stand as pivotal incubators within leading technical public universities across Africa, purposefully dedicated to nurturing youth innovation.
Our primary goal:
In Academic
to seamlessly bridge the academic realm with practical application
Tech Transfer
entails fortifying Tech Transfer Offices
faculty expertise
ensuring that faculty expertise and student research converges with entrepreneurial ventures.
Intellectual Property
establishing robust Intellectual Property protocols.
Equipping universities
equipping universities with cutting-edge tools and programs