Africa's biggest challenge and opportunity is unlocking its young talent

Mark Karake | Founder and CEO, Impact Africa Network

Mark Karake on TED Idea Search: Africa 2022

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Bio

Mark Karake is the founder of Impact Africa Network, a startup studio in Nairobi on a mission to ensure young talented Africans have a chance at participating in the digital transformation of Africa as creators and owners as well as Managing Partner at From Here Ventures, an early stage venture capital fund investing in early stage startups across Africa.

After 17 years in Silicon Valley, Mark chose to repatriate back home to Kenya to immerse himself in the economic development challenge. He and his team have the big-hairy-audacious-goal of developing 10 scale-ups that provide 10k jobs with a combined value of $10B by 2030.

Since launching in January of 2019 they have created over 200 jobs, launched 3 fast growing startups with a combined value of $10m. His ultimate vision is to utilize venture building and entrepreneurship to develop the leaders who upon achieving personal success can turn around and transform society, he calls it 1000 Lee Kwan Yews, fashioned after the transformational founding father of Singapore.

Projects

Mark's calling in life is to enhance human well being. His field of operations is venture building in Africa, the ultimate output of which is developing transformational leaders.

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Impact Africa Network

Startup studio in Nairobi on a mission to ensure young talented Africans can participate in the digital transformation of Africa as creators and owners

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From Here Ventures

Early stage venture fund deploying capital and a suite of support capabilities to exceptional entrepreneurs building transformative companies in Africa

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Chini Ya Maji Podcast

A podcast covering the Africa startup ecosystem

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The African Century

A newsletter on how we are capitalizing on innovation and entrepreneurship to catalyze Africa's transformation in this century

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Media Events

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Blogs

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One Thousand Lee Kwan Yews

We are now only 8 years away from our 10 10 10 BHAG. A vision that is the ‘city on a hill’ drawing us irresistibly forward. The vision is to build 10 scale-ups that provide 10K jobs with a combined value of $10B. We affectionately call this big hairy audacious goal of our... Read More

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Last Black Man in San Francisco

I don’t remember the specific moment when I fully accepted that my life in America was structurally compromised, that there was a glass ceiling along with four constricting walls to... Read More

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Power To Our Women

More than most, my life has been disproportionat-ely influenced by women. I was raised by a single mother who had me at 19. She had four sisters, whose presence loomed large over... Read More

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From Here Ventures

Last week a 7th Unicorn appeared on the African tech landscape capping a blistering 6 months of record breaking valuations on the continent. A Japanese backed VC firm is raising... Read More

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C.R.E.A.M.

Culture Rules Everything Around Me (unabridged). The most defining element of our lives is culture. It is the jet fuel that powers our dreams or the rock breaking quarry where our hopes... Read More

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Our Champions

Our Champions

founder

Our Champions

I found Mark’s story very compelling and I love that he is doing something to truly make a difference in the world and I love supporting people and causes like that

Bobbi Kahler
Lead Consultant at ASLAN Training & Development

Our Champions

founder

Our Champions

Now more than ever we're seeing there's incredible talent distributed all across the world, unfortunately resources aren't...to unlock the tremendous potential that is necessary to allow our world to evolve in the ways it needs to, it's time that changed- Impact Africa is leading that change! For that reason, it's my honor to support them in this small way!

Kwaku Osei
Founder & CEO, Cooperative Capital