Cisco and Seacom unveil startup hub in Mombasa

©Åukasz StefaÅ?ski via 123RF

The report reveals that MNK has donated office space, while Seacom is preparing to provide 40MB of its high-speed internet service for free. Cisco, according to the report, is providing computing hardware. Despite being a landing station for undersea fibre optic cables from Seacom, TEAMs, Eassy and Lion, Mombasa town has no start-up technology hub.

Seacom will provide hosting services for the hardware provided by Cisco, which was brought on board by the ICT Authority. The US company will also boost the hub by landscaping the area and providing Wi-Fi equipment.

So far, Nairobi houses most startup hubs, including iHub, iLab Africa, mLab, and NaiLab. Some of the more than 3,000 software developers have come up with mobile and PC-based software applications. The apps are designed to solve day-to-day problems, ranging from linking farmers with produce buyers, to monitoring if a patient is taking a prescribed drug, to locating a restaurant.

Innovations from the Nairobi-based hubs are turning out to be Kenya’s latest magnet that is said to be attracting global firms such as Nokia, Samsung, RIM as well as venture capitalists.