The Kenya Circular Economy Fellowship is a seven-month, part-time fellowship designed to train 25 Kenyan university students and 25 early-stage entrepreneurs to develop them as circular economy leaders.
The program is sponsored by the U.S. Embassy Nairobi. It is implemented by 10 Billion Strong, in partnership with Dunia Bora and Ye! Kenya.
Program Model & Objectives
The program equips Kenyan university students and circular economy business leaders with the skills and knowledge to promote sustainable business growth. Through a combination of in-person workshops and virtual sessions, participants will learn how to apply circular economy principles and advanced technologies to create impactful solutions that benefit both the environment and the economy.
The program objectives include:
- Enabling participants to develop crucial entrepreneurship skills and apply them to develop their businesses.
- Helping participants understand environmental issues locally and globally, lead others, and build capacity to create change.
- Promoting best practices that contribute to adopting circular economy principles.
- Building strong connections between emerging leaders and subject matter experts in Kenya to create long-term support relationships.
- Introducing participants to ecosystem enablers for continued support beyond the program’s duration.
Program Timeline
January: Kick-off event in Nairobi in early January.
January-March: Circular economy accelerator which features live online training workshops, deep-dive into circular business models, support to leverage artificial intelligence, and a two-day in-person workshop in Nairobi in mid/ late March.
April-May: Development of a circular entrepreneur handbook and entrepreneur hands-on support with mentors.
June: Wrap-up event and symposium in Nairobi to share program impact.
Program Eligibility
- Current university student (25 spots) OR early or mid-stage circular economy entrepreneur (25 spots).
- Most selected participants will be based in the Nairobi region. A small number will be selected from outside Nairobi.
- Ability to communicate in English.
- Demonstrated interest in the circular economy.
- Demonstrated interest in environmental issues.
- Entrepreneurs should have 1) formal registration; 2) proof of revenue (any amount); and 3) should be in the product / service development stage with a minimum viable product (MVP) or finished product / service
- Ability to commit to the program from January-June, 2025.
Program Funders and partners
