Innovation Hub hosts Entrepreneurship Week

Patricia Raffaele

Dec 16, 2025

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During Global Entrepreneurship Week, held from Nov. 19 through Nov. 21, 2025, Carnegie Mellon University Africa (CMU-Africa) students interacted with global experts, founders, and others. Students explored several topics including building startups, investment and venture capital, and intellectual property, among others. The event, held in Kigali, Rwanda, was hosted by the Innovation Hub, formerly the Industry Innovation Lab.

The program is part of the Global Entrepreneurship Week movement, organized by the Global Entrepreneurship Network, and includes 40,000 events reaching 10 million people in 200 countries. The network celebrates and empowers entrepreneurs around the world, especially those who face barriers or have never considered the opportunities of entrepreneurship.

The theme for this year’s program, Together We Build, emphasized the collective power of community, collaboration, and shared ambition within the entrepreneurial world. Participants from Kepler College, the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences, the African Leadership University, and the University of Rwanda joined the event, and many shared their innovations during the week.

Speakers shared advice, responded to questions, and described their experience with entrepreneurship. “A startup is its founders, and everything starts and ends with them,” said Babacar Seck, founder and managing partner of Askya Investment Partners. “This means that founders who are exceptional and look for smart ways to solve problems make great startups.”

Keynote speaker Ola Fadiran, founder and CEO of ChipMango, advised participants to challenge the status quo and the goal is “not to fail; the goal is to fail early and learn from it,” adding “the joy is in the journey, not the destination.”

  • A speaker at a podium fielding questions from the audience
    Speakers and participants interact during Global Entrepreneurship Week
  • A group of over forty people in front of the CMU-Africa sign on the location in Rwanda
    Sharing information during Global Entrepreneurship Week
  • A group of people inside walking around and chatting during the event
    Making connections at Global Entrepreneurship Week
  • A smiling student clapping his hands
    Learning about entrepreneurship
  • A group of people in front of a wall with a lightbulb and the word "idea"
    Celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week

    • Other sessions focused on startup registration in Rwanda, insights and opportunities in the micro-chip design industry, and classroom innovation to industry problem solving.

    In addition to the educational sessions and panel discussions, participants had the opportunity to visit the Innovation Hub’s booth showcase and learn about ongoing and current activities from the African Innovators Society, CMU-Africa’s entrepreneurship club. The event also provided many opportunities for participants to build connections and collaborate with peers and speakers through meals, exhibitions, and networking.

    The theme of the event, Together We Build, invited anyone to explore what is possible when joining mentors, peers, partners, and supporters to bring ideas to life and build something bigger than themselves.

    Stanley Mukasa, Associate Director, Entrepreneurship, CMU-Africa

    On the final day of the event, students connected with representatives from past and prospective TechSkills Marketplace Program startups who showcased their work and shared information about summer opportunities.

    “The theme of this event, Together We Build, invites anyone to explore what is possible when they join mentors, peers, partners, and supporters to bring ideas to life and build something bigger than themselves,” said Stanley Mukasa, associate director of entrepreneurship, CMU-Africa.