Seeding early-stage circular economy entrepreneurs

Overview

Somo is a business accelerator in Kenya that supports micro and small business owners in low-income urban communities. Somo supports entrepreneurs with training, mentorship, financing, and market access, as well as a set of digital tools that provide customized training and track business performance. Loans to entreprenurs range between USD 100 to USD 5’000.

The BESTSELLER Foundation partnered with Somo to provide loans to a portfolio of micro and small businesses owners turning waste into fashion products, furniture, etc. So far, these are:

Mike Fish Leather

Mike Fish Leather turns fish skin waste into quality fish leather, which is used to make belts, shoes, and wallets. Their mission is to utilize fish waste from the fish factory in the Obunga slum of Kisumu to avoid additional waste build-up in the area.

Swahili Wear

Rosaly makes beaded sandals in Likoni, Mombasa. Swahili Wear employs nine young people. Swahili Wear also has ten resellers that buy shoes daily and resell in beach towns along the coast of Kenya.

Moya

Moya is a shoe production company making fashionable footwear from waste products, such as leathers, fabric cut-offs, used tires, jeans, and other discarded materials.

Norez Flowers

Norez Flowers reduces environmental pollution caused by careless disposal of fish scales and straws within Obunga slums, turning the scales and straws into high-quality flowers and earrings. Through her craft, Nora creates employment opportunities for youths and widows. The creative flowers serve as alternative bouquets during functions such as weddings, valentines, and funerals.

Lingo Styles

Lingo is a fashion business that creates African-inspired clothes from both new and recycled fabrics. Lingo employs two women, and is committed to employment opportunities for the youth and single mothers from underserved backgrounds.

Afriset Tailors

Tabitha’s business collects waste fabric from tailors, using it to create products such as stuffed animals and bags. She trains youth, particularly women, from low-income areas to make fashionable products using methods that avoid wasting resources.

AHADI

Elizabeth witnessed many girls and young women in her low-income area miss school and other important daily activities because they could not afford sanitary towels. In response, she began experimenting with a reusable solution. Her company, Ahadi, produces high-quality reusable sanitary pads and sells affordably to vulnerable girls and young mothers. She uses locally sourced materials, which reduces her cost of production.

Gomira

Gomira is an interior design business focused on motor vehicles, motorcycles and offices. They take old spaces and give them a fresh look. George founded Gomira to create new things from what many would throw away. Gomira’s unique designs include car seats, car interiors, new and antique furniture, decorative fabric,and home and office accessories. Gomira employs seven youths from low-income communities in Kibera and Corner.

Heztom

Heztom is an African bag company. Based out of Maringo in Nairobi they use inspiration from the artistic history of the location to make unique products. Founders, Heztom and Thomas, believe you can express African values through design. Utilising scrap fabric in many of their designs they also reduce on waste.

Gado’s Creative

Gado's Creative makes custom cutting boards, wall hangings, coasters among other things from bamboo and recycled timber materials. So far they have established a workshop in dagoretti apart from social media marketing and a physical shop at Karen. Currently, Gado’s concentrates on making engraved, functional wooden items while using environmentally friendly raw materials. And the fact that they customize their products according to the customer's needs gives them an edge over the competition. GAdo’s vision is to enhance kitchens and living spaces while creating employment for the youth. They aim to be an industry leader in an untapped market.

Betty Reusable Pads

Betty Reusable Pads is tailoring business that deals with producing reusable pads for girls and young women. Betty, the founder of Betty Reusable Pads works to empower young mothers with hygienic sanitary pads as well as training them to be self sustainable.

Musi’s Collection

The leather sector in Kenya is estimated to be worth over kes. 50 billion annually. With 90% of raw leather being exported as raw and semi processed form, the country has lost billions of shillings and thousands of job opportunities. There is a need for Kenyans to invest in industry to produce leather made products. MUSI's makes leather sandals and employs young people in the process. The business hires mostly unskilled school dropouts and trains them in the technical skills of making sandals.

Hidaya Diapers

Hilda and Diana are a dynamic mother daughter duo, with Hilda leading production while Diana runs business logistics. The two set their business apart through using original materials to create diapers that last over 3 months. Hidaya diapers can save a mother $120, equal to as much as 6 months of rent in an informal settlement in Nairobi.

Kizito

Kizito converts natural materials like wood calabashes into artifacts such as wall hangings and lampshades. His goal is to preserve Kenyan culture while empowering young talented entrepreneurs.His vision is to see today’s youth earn from their arts and original creations.

Victoria Scapas

Dennis founded Victoria Scapas to convert fish waste into consumable products. Fish waste accounts for about 40% of the original fish and results in environmental pollution. During the decaying process it creates eutrophication, which is responsible for the water hyacinth invasion that causes many ecological issues on Lake Victoria. Dennis utilizes this waste (offal, scales, skins, and bones) to make products such as omega-3 fish oils, fish curry, and animal feed.

African Merchandise Bags

Sanchez is the founder of Africa Merchandise Bags, a company based in Clay City. He came up with the idea of making the products after being irritated by the dirty environment around him, as it was polluted with waste clothing materials. African Merchandise offers fashionable African bags to people and in turn cleans the environment. As well, Sanchez creates employment for low income youth in Clay City.

Uzwasi Designs

Uswazi is a fashion company that makes with African wear. Hamisi uses African attire and cut offs from tailors to make clothes, bags and shoes. He has set up a shop in Likoni where urban residents, school children and youth can visit and purchase the attires they desire. He makes customised, unique pieces.

Almercy

Almercy is a shoe making shoes from leather, bringing the value add of leather back to Kenya to employ people locally. Hassan has set up a location in Mtongwe where he produces from and sells his shoes.

Our Engagement

We invested in Somo and thus the portfolio of circular economy entrepreneurs in September 2021. We have since then expanded the loan portfolio multiple times and remain proud to support Somo in demonstrating the potential of investing in very early-stage ventures.