A consortium led by the UK–Kenya Tech Hub has launched Startup 360 Connect, a new initiative designed to strengthen Kenya’s early-stage investment ecosystem by linking startups with angel investors, coordinated capital, and international market opportunities.
The programme brings together Viktoria Ventures, Anza Village, and POV under the UK–Kenya Strategic Partnership in Science, Technology and Innovation.
Its core objective is to move Kenya’s startup landscape from investor awareness to active capital deployment, addressing persistent gaps in early-stage funding despite strong entrepreneurial activity.
Kenya is one of Africa’s most vibrant startup hubs, yet early-stage financing remains highly concentrated among a small number of investors. Ecosystem leaders say the challenge has shifted from educating investors to enabling coordinated, practical investment activity at scale.
What You Should Know
At the heart of the initiative is the Startup 360 Connect Angel Leads Program, delivered by Viktoria Ventures. The programme targets individual and group investors seeking to formalise their approach to angel investing.
Participants receive structured training in startup evaluation, due diligence, and syndication before committing US$1,000 each into a collective startup investment at the end of the programme. The model is designed to reduce individual risk while building practical experience and confidence among new angels.
“We have spent years building the foundations of angel investing in Africa. This programme represents the next phase, moving from awareness into action,” said Stephen Gugu, CEO of Viktoria Ventures.
By combining education with real capital deployment, the initiative aims to grow not just the number of investors, but the volume and consistency of early-stage funding available to startups.
Creating a Single Pipeline From Founder to Funder
Startup 360 Connect is structured around three complementary pillars.
The first focuses on angel investor training and capital activation, equipping participants with the skills and frameworks needed to form and operate effective investment syndicates.
The second pillar, led by Anza Village, centres on founder readiness through Startup School Kenya. The programme helps entrepreneurs build investable businesses by strengthening their business models, governance structures, financial literacy, and engagement with investors.
“Our role is to help founders build strong, investment-ready businesses,” said Wangechi Wahome, CEO of Anza Village. “Aligning that work with trained angel investors makes the ecosystem more efficient.”
Startups graduating from Startup School Kenya progress directly into the Angel Leads Program, creating a continuous pipeline that links prepared founders with ready capital.
Linking Kenyan Startups to Global Markets
The third pillar, delivered by POV, focuses on exposure to UK market entry and international scaling pathways. While it does not guarantee funding, it provides founders and investors with insights into regulatory, commercial, and operational considerations for cross-border growth.
According to Billy Msagha of the UK–Kenya Tech Hub, the initiative reflects a broader shift toward building sustainable local investment capacity while strengthening connections between Kenyan and UK innovation ecosystems.
Rather than relying solely on foreign capital, the programme aims to professionalise domestic angel investing and create stronger feedback loops between local founders and local funders.
Applications and Outlook
The Angel Leads Program will run from February to June 2026 and is open to individual investors, investment groups, professionals, and impact-focused investors. Applications close on 30 January 2026.
Organisers say Startup 360 Connect is expected to increase the volume of early-stage capital flowing into Kenyan startups, improve the quality of founder–investor engagement, and position Kenya more firmly within global innovation and investment networks.
As Africa’s technology ecosystems mature, initiatives like Startup 360 Connect signal a shift from ecosystem building to ecosystem activation, where the focus is no longer on whether innovation exists, but on how effectively capital, talent, and opportunity are connected to sustain it.
Talking Points
It is impressive that Startup 360 Connect is focused on activating, not just educating, angel investors, addressing one of the biggest gaps in Kenya’s startup ecosystem: the shortage of coordinated early-stage capital.
This approach positions the initiative as a practical solution to a real structural challenge, especially for founders who struggle to access funding at the idea and early growth stages despite strong market potential.
At Techparley, we see how programmes like this can accelerate ecosystem maturity by aligning founders, investors, and support institutions into a single, functional pipeline rather than leaving them to operate in silos.
By combining investor training, founder readiness, and international market exposure into one framework, Startup 360 Connect creates a more efficient pathway from startup formation to funding and scale.
As Startup 360 Connect evolves, we see an opportunity for it to become a cornerstone of Kenya’s early-stage investment infrastructure. With the right partnerships and continued execution, it has the potential to meaningfully increase the flow of capital into startups and strengthen Kenya’s position as a leading innovation hub in Africa.
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