The Innovators-in-Residence program provides a valuable mentoring opportunity in developing and breathing to life new innovative ideas. Through this program, selected experts will guide early-stage innovators to turn their ideas into reality. A panel of judges selects the innovators-in-residence through a rigorous process with the aim of picking the best ideas to support that year. The judges look for several attributes in the winning idea: viability, scalability, novelty, and contribution to the East African media industry.
The innovators-in-residence have access to a start-up grant of up to $20,000 and monthly stipends to help them steer through the program. They also have access to coaches who will handhold them through the early stages of their start-up and assist them in working on prototypes and, finally, a minimum viable product (MVP). The innovators go through various trainings to ground them in journalism and storytelling, business planning, taxation, and entrepreneurship. The innovators-in-residence program takes 12 months that culminates to a Demo Day in which the innovators present their final product before a sitting of potential investors and mentors.
Find out more on how to apply for our innovation program.
The LAM Sisterhood fills the world with stories for African women to feel seen, heard and beloved.
Our product is story, and we let the needs of the story dictate the medium. For this reason, our portfolio boasts a multimedia approach to telling, teaching, and tailoring story.
As Innovators In Residence, we are taking the Brazen Universe to market; a multimedia experience sharing the life stories of African women who’ve shaped our reality. We begin with The Brazen Podcast, which tells the story of a different Brazen African woman in three acts, so you remember the power of Ethiopian Queen Makeda, the strength of Kenyan freedom fighter Field Marshall Muthoni, the audacity of Zanzibari legend Bi Kidude.
They were, so are you.
“We need our life writing to fill in the gaps of every facet of our history—– political, economic, social, cultural and intellectual,” – Dr. Joyce Nyairo. We work in the realm of life writing, where we use rigorous research, our imagination and feminist storytelling skills to create compelling narratives that live in a variety of mediums.
From children’s storytelling to conversations on process, from a podcast to a musical, the goal is to gather strength from the women who came before us. In addition, the range of skills between the co-founders and their networks provides a unique opportunity to also consult for institutions seeking storytelling solutions for internal and external purposes, from workshops to communication strategies, data storytelling to newsletter conceptualisations, behaviour change communications to interactive theatre, and more.
It began with a ululation in November 2017. The first to Laura. The second to Moraa. And together they ululated back to Aleya. The three ululated together, and many many women responded. Together they found Micere Mugo asking: “Where are those songs, my mother and yours always sang?” And realised they were not alone. They wanted to celebrate extraordinary Kenyan women from history. Nine months later, The Brazen Edition was staged.
That first ululation resulted in what would be called, “one of the most inspiring and multi-layered productions seen at the Kenya National Theatre in recent times.” and would sell out five times, and win several National Awards. They found their dreams in each other. They found a sisterhood.
Now, Laura Ekumbo, Aleya Kassam, and Anne Moraa are The LAM Sisterhood: a company that loves story, in every form and genre, from film to stage, from audio to page. Together, we continue our ululation, calling to everyone who wants African women to feel seen, heard, and beloved.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Co-Founder, Director and Storyteller
Co-Founder, Director and Storyteller
Co-Founder, Director and Storyteller
Ona works in the future of storytelling through pioneering the field of immersive storytelling in Tanzania by using virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and a range of 360 visual content (360 live streaming, underwater 360, 360 drone filming and animation). Ona also offers media training that brings team to the cutting edge of media and communications today, digital storytelling that focuses on human-centered stories that change minds and win hearts as well as documentary and news features.
Ona Stories works in the future of storytelling through pioneering the field of immersive storytelling in Tanzania by using virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and a range of 360 visual content (360 live streaming, underwater 360, 360 drone filming and animation).
Ona has been in existence since 2016
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Co-Founder and Director of Strategy and Storytelling
Co-Founder and Director of Operations and Immersive Media
Production Manager
Operations and Creative Assistant
Cinematographer
Project Administrator
Account Assistant
Videographer & Editor
Storytelling and Management Associate
Videographer & Motion Graphics Editor
Minority Africa is a digital publication providing solutions content on African minority communities and persons using Data, Immersive and Mobile journalism. There is, we understand, a lot of ground to cover in how African minorities are framed at national, regional and international levels of coverage. This ground materializes both in the labeling of minorities at these levels, and the extent of objectivity or coverage that is given to minority groups and individuals.
We recognize this gap and provide a digital platform that houses minority reports that detail interventions and are objective, well researched and representative.
MA is looking to counter the misrepresentation, underrepresentation, and often no representation at all of African minority groups and individuals in mainstream media through a multimedia approach that is data-driven, immersive (360 videos, virtual reality), and highly interactive.
We have been existence since 2018
 |
 |
 |
 |
Investigations Lead
Programmes Director
Partnerships Officer
Learn Administrator
Copy Editor
Social Producer
Debunk Media is a pioneer in digital media in Africa. We bring together journalists, data scientists, filmmakers, illustrators and animators through the art of storytelling to break down issues that affect us all.
We have so much information competing for our attention on a daily basis. Many times we need to decipher what this information means to us. Through compelling storytelling and evidence-based journalism, we at Debunk Media want to explore new ways of helping you better understand the big events that shape your life.
We have been in existence since October 2019
 |
 |
 |
 |
Founder and Lead Editor
Lead Producer & Creative Director
Media Consultant
Data Analyst
Social Media Manager
Contributor
Statistician
Illustrator
Ludique works is a video game publishing company that seeks to change the way people play video games in Africa while offering an avenue for people to tell unique African stories through the medium of games.
We do this by supporting indie developers or studios based on the continent with funding, marketing, distribution and monetization of their games which have been built either for smartphones, PC or Console.
We started the company in early 2018.
 |
 |
 |
|
Co-Founder and the CEO
