Impact HUB Harare - Bridging the Gap Between Entrepreneurs and Investors
“When we moved into this office space, there was no furniture and no WiFi, we were even hot spotting from our cell phones. Our first member, Tariro Trust moved in at this time, they believed in the dream and are still with us today”, Hope Muchanyuka, Manager , Impact Hub Harare
We visited Impact Hub Harare (IHH) where Auxicillia and Hope took us through IHH’s journey of determination, sacrifice and teamwork. The thriving organization is largely program based and serves as an incubation hub for social enterprises and also provides co-working space for start-ups.
How it all started?
Impact Hub Harare is one of the Impact Hubs around the world and was founded by Tadzoka Pswarayi and Aretha Mare. The entire process took close to 2 years and the organization was officially registered in 2016.
“Establishing the Impact Hub Harare has not been easy. In the beginning we were self-funded with occasional assistance from friends and family”, Auxicillia Rabwi, Business Development Associate, Impact Hub Harare
From a pioneer team of 3, Impact Hub Harare has grown to a staff team of 10. The Impact Hub Harare community has more than one hundred members, which include both virtual hub members and physical members. The co-working space has a capacity of 30, and presently has 20 subscribers. While the main purpose of co-working space is to support social enterprises, it also serves as an income stream. IHH works with a number of local and international partners on various programs and events such as Founders Live, Seedstars , F*ck Up Nights, Code is female, Facebook developers circle, Micro Workspace to mention but a few.
“It has been a roller coaster ride for us. We have had a huge staff turnover because working for a start-up is not easy. Our team sometimes has to deal with uncertainty and it is sometimes difficult to find people who believe in the dream”, adds Hope.
Given the harsh economic conditions, Zimbabwean entrepreneurs do not have it easy and Impact Hub Harare exists to bridge the gap between local entrepreneurs and global partners, investors and programs.
“We exist to elevate the local entrepreneurs, especially because whenever people talk entrepreneurship, they focus on Nigeria and Kenya while no one ever mentions the Zimbabwean entrepreneur”, shares Auxicillia.
Impact Hub Harare encourages young entrepreneurs, to take advantage of the benefits of belonging to a community of entrepreneurs. In conclusion, Auxicillia shares that ideas are useless unless they are shared. And what better place to share and grow one’s idea than Impact Hub Harare.
For more information please check Impact Hub Harare´s facebook page.
Photo credits: Christine Juta
