LocationsFrom Hustle to Scale: How Uganda’s National Startup Database is Powering Innovation and Investment
October 6, 2025
Stakeholders at the design workshop for the National Startup Database.
When Elizabeth Nakayenga, the founder of AgriTechX, pitched her idea for a solar-powered irrigation pump in 2021, she had high hopes that investors would line up at her door. Her prototype was reducing water use by 40% for smallholder farmers in Mbale, and she was confident about scaling across Uganda’s drought-prone regions.
But like many startups in Uganda, Elizabeth quickly understood that this would not happen in an instance.
- Beyond her local network, few investors even knew her startup existed. She also did not have a wide spectrum of potential investors for her idea.
- Fragmented support where navigating incubators, accelerators, and trade fairs proved frustrating, with opportunities scattered and uncoordinated.
- Funding remained a dream: As of October 2025, data demonstrated that Uganda attracts only 15% of East Africa’s private equity investments, much of it going to agribusiness and health. Ranked at 94th position Worldwide. The ecosystem declined by 6.8% over the past year 2024.
Elizabeth wasn’t alone. Uganda’s startup ecosystem is vibrant and growing at a faster rate. However, there are real gaps in respect to fragmentation, absence of a centralized platform to connect entrepreneurs with funding, low levels of research and development, limited mentorship and apprenticeship, while the policy support is just in the offing according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives.
AI generated image portraying youths working on a Startup
The architect of the National Innovation & Startup Database
In order to systematically respond and address these lingering challenges, so that startups like those owned by Elizabeth and others can materialize into real solutions for local challenges a National Innovation and Startup Database is in design. Its development is a multilevel partnership between the Makerere University Research and Innovation Fund (MakRIF), the Ministry of ICT & National Guidance, the Ministry of Trade, Industry Cooperatives, and other ecosystem stakeholders, Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) and the United Development Programme (UNDP). This database is envisioned to be a one-stop hub for startups, investors, and support organizations, subsequently unlocking investments, more employment opportunities and the shape of Ugandan innovations for the future.
In getting there, UNDP convened stakeholders who work and support the tapestry of innovation in Uganda in co-designing of this integrated system, a journey which also localizes the solution, tests with real-cases and builds ownership by players in the innovation ecosystem.
The visual prototype of the Startup Ecosystem portal
During the co-creation workshop, stakeholders emphasized that the platform must integrate an interoperability module connecting startups to formalization and business development support services like:
- URSB (Uganda Registration Services Bureau) for business registration,
- UNBS (Uganda National Bureau of Standards) for product certification, and
- URA (Uganda Revenue Authority) for tax compliance.
Vincent Okema Deputy Chairman, Startup Policy Interventions Project (SPIP),MSME Directorate, Ministry of Trade, Industry & Cooperatives
This would enable the government to keep real-time track of startups and innovations. It provides a centralized, reliable, and dynamic repository of data on innovators, startups, incubators, accelerators, and support institutions, helping to address current gaps of fragmentation and invisibility. By improving visibility, the database enables policy makers to design evidence-based strategies, investors to identify promising ventures, and development partners to align resources with real needs. It also fosters collaboration across sectors, creating pathways for startups to scale beyond local networks and access regional and global markets
For founders like Elizabeth, the database offers:
- Free startup registration and profiling with verified credentials.
- Investor matchmaking using filters by sector, funding stage, and location.
- Access to accelerators, training programs, and government incentives in one place
For policymakers and ecosystem players, it provides real-time analytics: funding gaps, innovation hotspots, and sectoral growth trends
And for angel investors, like David, who returned to Uganda after a decade in Europe, it is a game-changer.
The Angel Investor’s Perspective
David wanted to invest in climate-smart innovations but didn’t know where to start.
- “Without a centralized and reliable platform, I had to rely on personal networks to find startups,” David says. “Now, with a single login, I can view verified profiles, financial projections, and even impact metrics for hundreds of startups.”
Through the database, David discovered AgriTechX, saw its traction metrics, downloaded Elizabeth’s pitch deck, and initiated direct contact via the platform’s secure messaging feature
Two weeks later, David and Elizabeth signed a $100,000 seed investment deal, her first major funding milestone.
Why This Database Matters
Dr. Roy William Mayega Makerere University Research and Innovation Fund (MakRIF) Coordinator
Dr. Roy William Mayega the Mak-RIF Coordinator broke it down in simple terms;-
- For Startups: It breaks the isolation barrier, offering visibility and access to funding, mentorship, and markets
- For Investors: It de-risks decision-making with verified data, sector insights, and portfolio tracking tools
- For Policymakers: It supports evidence-based policies by mapping Uganda’s innovation ecosystem in real time
- For Government: The interoperability feature streamlines startup formalization and helps government plan appropriately for innovation-driven growth
Berna Mugema Team Leader Inclusive Growth and Innovation
As Berna Mugema, UNDP Uganda’s Team Lead for Inclusive Growth and Innovation, said at the design workshop:
“This platform will be the central nervous system for Uganda’s innovation economy, connecting ideas to opportunities and opportunities to capital.”
The Bigger Picture
With over 5,000 startups targeted for onboarding in the pilot phase, the database aligns with Uganda’s Startup Policy and Digital Transformation Roadmap, ensuring innovation drives job creation, economic diversification, and competitiveness
For Elizabeth, it meant scaling AgriTechX to seven districts in just a year.
For David, it meant building a green investment portfolio with measurable impact.
For Uganda, it signals the dawn of a data-driven, inclusive startup ecosystem where innovation and investment meet on the same page, literally.
By Hadijah Nabbale – Head of Solutions Mapping & Nathan Tumuhamye Head of Exploration