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The Ingenious City incubation platform has launched in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), bringing together five local startup incubators in a single space to address the deficiencies of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country.

Launched through a partnership between DRC’s Sycomore Ventures, and UKaid-backed economic development programme ELAN RDC, Ingenious City occupies a 1500 m2 physical space in the Procoki concession, next to Kinshasa’s business district Gombe.

The initiative aims to address a number of deficiencies in the DRC entrepreneurial ecosystem, including the lack of a stable space with reliable infrastructure for startups to work, the shortcomings in available mentorship and incubation programmes, and a gap in access to investors, among others.

The five incubators involved have come together to leverage their joint networks to create a training and mentoring programme which aims to give young startups in the country a boost, as well as assist incubator managers in further developing their models.

In due course at a later stage of the programme, the startups emerging from Ingenious City will be presented to local and international investors.

The incubator will be open to all startups and entrepreneurs from around the DRC, with details of the programme currently being finalised.

In addition, Ingenious City features a co-working space open to the general public, offering local freelancers and international transients an inspiring workplace right in the middle of Kinshasa.

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