President Samia to Launch Tanzania's First National Startup Week
On Wednesday evening, we interviewed Zahoro Muhaji. Why?
Muhaji’s insights are complemented by details revealed during a TSA info session on December 6.
Continue reading.
What inspired the creation of Tanzania Startup Week?
We spotted a fundamental gap in our ecosystem.
Tanzania's startup scene has grown 15% annually for three years and attracted over 200 investors. But we lacked a unified platform where local players could drive the agenda. Every major ecosystem event was either externally or commercially motivated. We needed to change that.
For two years, we've worked on creating a platform that truly serves our ecosystem's needs. This isn't simply another conference. It's a sustainable framework for connecting startups with investors, building university-industry partnerships, and promoting long-term development.
How did the President's engagement come about?
It culminates a year of deepening conversations between government and the startup ecosystem. President Samia has shown consistent support, most recently agreeing to be Guest of Honor at Startup Week 2024.
This follows our December 20, 2023, meeting with her at State House, where the TSA Board and Management discussed ecosystem development. In May 2024, she took an unprecedented step by including TSA and ten startups on her presidential plane during the state visit to South Korea, where we visited Pangyo Technovalley and signed an MoU with the Korea-Africa Foundation (KAF).
What's different now is the government's practical understanding of startups' needs. The President has made it easier for public institutions to engage with startups meaningfully. You’ll see this in action during Startup Week. Having regulators, investment authorities, and other government bodies actively participating shows how far we've come in building these relationships.
Why host the event at the University of Dar es Salaam?
Look at successful ecosystems globally. They thrive on strong academia-industry connections. Silicon Valley's growth is inseparable from Stanford's role. We chose UDSM's new library deliberately to start building those same bridges in Tanzania. Having startup conversations in academic spaces rather than just high-end hotels changes how people interact and think about innovation.
What do you consider TSA's biggest achievement to date?
Creating a clear identity for startups in Tanzania's public and government spheres. When we started, there was confusion about what constitutes a startup and why they matter. Now, we have credibility with regulators, which is fundamental for everything else we do.
This identity and credibility have been crucial for building partnerships. When we approach banks, telcos, or other private sector players, they understand who we represent and why collaboration matters. It has created a foundation for initiatives like the deal room platform and the broader ecosystem development we're pursuing through Startup Week.
What makes this event different from previous startup initiatives?
We've structured Startup Week as a comprehensive national platform, not just an event. What's unique is our open-stage approach.
Any organization, whether private sector or not, can host their own events within the week. We provide the audience and framework, but they have full autonomy over their sessions' content and structure. This derisks event hosting for both small and large organizations while ensuring diverse, authentic ecosystem engagement.
The five days cover distinct but interconnected needs such as:
Most importantly, this continues year-round. Our digital deal room stays active, letting investors track startup progress and founders build relationships before they need funding. We're also organizing quarterly meetups in seven regions outside Dar to maintain momentum between annual weeks.
Tell us about the digital deal room. How does it work?
We've built a database of over 500 local, regional, and international investors interested in Tanzania's market. The platform matches companies and capital providers based on:
When startups register, they provide detailed business information, financials, and growth metrics. Investors share their investment criteria and preferences.
The matchmaking is deliberate. We're solving a specific problem where founders often struggle to raise funds on time due to limited investor relationships.
Through the Room, investors can track startups' progress over time, even if they're not ready to invest immediately. This builds meaningful relationships before funding needs arise.
What specific support are you providing to startups through this initiative?
We've partnered with over ten technical assistance providers and thirty incubators nationwide. Many of our founders are first-generation entrepreneurs.
Beyond funding, they need support with investment readiness, corporate structuring, and understanding investor relationships. Our technical partners help improve investment materials and business fundamentals.
What happens during the Investment Forum days?
The first two days begin with President Samia Suluhu Hassan, as Guest of Honor, officially opening Startup Week. Day one features a focused agenda, including:
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December 17 is dedicated to deal flow matchmaking sessions, with a one-stop regulatory center operating throughout the day. This brings together TIC, TRA (Tanzania Revenue Authority), FCC (Fair Competition Commission), BRELA, BoT, CMSA, DSE (Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange), and other key bodies for direct startup engagement.
The deal room's advance matching ensures these conversations are focused and relevant for both sides. Each one-on-one meeting gets proper preparation time. That’s something startup founders often miss out on in typical conference settings.
How are startups selected for participation in the deal room and showcase?
We don't have a specific numerical cutoff. Instead, we look at each startup's readiness and ability to engage meaningfully with investors. Those who enter the deal room undergo a vetting process to ensure accurate information. This helps build investor trust while identifying areas where startups might need additional support.
How are you measuring success for this initiative?
We're looking at practical outcomes:
The deal room gives us real-time metrics on meetings scheduled, documents viewed, and investor interest by sector. It helps us understand sector trends and support needs. This data shapes our quarterly webinars and regional meetups.
How should interested individuals and organizations get involved?
Registration stays open through startupweek.co.tz. For companies that can't attend all five days, we recommend prioritizing the investment forum on December 16-17.
While showcasing space is limited, the deal room platform remains accessible year-round. Investors can start reviewing startup profiles immediately after registration.
Which sectors are showing the most potential for startup-investor matches?
We're not limiting ourselves to specific sectors. But think about this: only 22% of Tanzania's 61+ million people use banking services. That's a massive opportunity for fintech solutions. We're also seeing strong interest in agriculture technology, particularly solutions that work across the value chain.
What makes your platform's matchmaking approach unique?
Our programs team developed an algorithm that aligns investor preferences with startup profiles across multiple dimensions, including:
How are you handling regulatory compliance in the deal room?
Everything in our deal room complies with Tanzania's Data Protection Act 2022. For startups, we've learned that regulatory understanding needs to come early. Take company structure: many founders don't realize they need to register as a limited liability company before they can raise equity.
Our one-stop center during the investment forum brings together all relevant regulatory bodies to address these issues directly.
How are you ensuring the platform remains neutral and beneficial for all ecosystem players?
TSA operates as a non-profit organization with no commercial interests. Our role is to build infrastructure that serves everyone.
The digital platform, the university venue choice, the regulatory engagement—everything aims to create open, accessible opportunities for ecosystem development.
Tell us about TSA's relationship with NMB Bank and its significance for Startup Week
NMB has been a consistent supporter of our ecosystem initiatives. They understand that partnerships with startups need to go beyond traditional event sponsorship. We recently signed an MoU that's about creating real business value. It's a partnership with the main bank, not just their nonprofit foundation arm.
Rather than focusing on corporate social responsibility (CSR) or traditional loans, we're looking at practical interventions. When startups have proven solutions, they can potentially access significant funding or tenders through proper business arrangements. The bank sees the commercial potential in working with startups that can solve real market problems.
Why did you choose "Beyond Borders" as the theme for Startup Week?
We've done ecosystem promotion in Japan, Kenya, Dubai, and beyond.
Now it's time to bring those connections home. Tanzania is open for business, but we need to demonstrate we're ready. Startup Week aims to not only attract international investment but also build credibility through real relationships and deals.
When investors come, they need to find an organized, professional ecosystem. The theme captures our willingness to engage beyond geographical boundaries while strengthening our local foundation.
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