General Information

BOOST is a program aimed at introducing a circular economy system to Kenya’s WEEE sector where electronics are used and re-used and e-waste is managed with minimal impact on the environment, creating job opportunities and better working conditions for the people of Mombasa. Through its innovation activities BOOST works on bridging the digital divide in Kenya with sustainable innovative business providing tech solutions for societal problems and introducing sustainable WEEE practices and workforce to public and private employers and consumers in the Mombasa region, thereby contributing to better working conditions and opportunities.

For these ultimate outcomes to become reality, public and private partners are needed. The issues we aim to tackle are collective and cross sector boundaries. Private sector impacts WEEE management, manufacturing practices and working conditions, entrepreneurs innovate to initiate circular economy practices and educational institutes help educate all stakeholders involved.

BOOST is a 3-year program aimed at setting up, activating and ensuring the financial and social sustainability of the Close the Gap Circular Economy Hub (CEH), a 1500m2 circular economy ecosystem in Mombasa, Kenya, where we expect to have a greater impact than in Nairobi and connect to a growing manufacturing sector, contribute to a weak education sector and stimulate the growth of business mindset and businesses.

We seek impact through an integrated approach in the manufacturing, innovation and education spaces.

Circular Incubation Program

Within our 12 weeks incubation curriculum, we train, support, coach and mentor existing startups who are at the beginning stages of their validation to grow their businesses. Within the incubation program, we encourage the startups to create sustainable business models but also teach different circular business models. The startups that finish our incubation program have an enhanced sense of financial management, circular opportunities within their business and tangible solutions to support and grow their startup.

Inspiration Days

Through setting up monthly inspirational talks, panel discussions, and bringing together different ecosystem players and conveners we hope to inspire many different stakeholders, youth and young entrepreneurs to (re)think the opportunities available to them concerning the creation of a circular economy. The inspiration days have been dubbed 'Mombasa Talks' and each quarter we will take a different thematic subject such as 'financial inclusion for start-ups' or 'circular business models' and build off of those ideas with panels and experts discussing the topic matter both offline and online.

Co-creation Days

Each month we will offer the opportunity for partners and the public to join hands and co-create hands on solutions for e-waste and waste problems in the Mombasa area. Plenty of companies struggle with waste and e-waste, many have end of life products and seek to find solutions on how to create a second life solution to their wasteful products. As recycling or even refurbishment of electronic equipment is at present still in the early stages of development, we aim to bring together those experts, companies and young people that have the knowledge and expertise to hack a solution and co-create a potential solution into a product. The final goal would be for a local entrepreneur to take this solution and make it into a business and join our incubation programme.