Why I Started Einstein Rising Canada

Hello there!

I grew up in Canada with everything. The support of a loving family, food on the table, a great education, and the opportunities to do whatever I wanted to

I know that in the developing world people don’t have the same opportunities.

Although I don’t have a lot of money to give, I do have the time to give, a desire to help, and many years of experience working with small businesses and nonprofit organizations that I can use to help people in developing nations help themselves and their communities.

I also love to travel and experience the life, cultures and beauty that the world has to offer.

So I figured that I can combine the two through social impact mentorship.. I can get to know and help young entrepreneurs by giving them the guidance and support they need to build a business that improves the lives of people in their communities, while at the same time enjoy travelling to new places.

WHY UGANDA?

There are a few reasons I have chosen Uganda:

• First, the country itself. Uganda, the Pearl of Africa, is located in East Africa along the equator. It has a beautiful and diverse landscape, friendly people and nice weather. I also feel very safe walking anywhere around the country, even in big cities.

• Second, East Africa is one of the fastest growing regions in the world both in population and GDP, so I see a lot of potential.

• Third, Uganda has a lot of young, energetic, and well educated people willing to work hard. The median age in Uganda is 17, with 70% of the population under age 30.

• Fourth, Uganda is blessed with very fertile soils, favorable temperatures and plenty of rainfall giving it the potential to become the breadbasket for all of Africa. Its Agriculture sector provides unlimited opportunities for investors and good farmland is relatively inexpensive to buy.

• Fifth, Amazing Tourism. There is so much to see, including world class National Parks full of incredible wildlife (Mountain Gorillas, Chimpanzees, Elephants, Buffalo, Rhinos, Giraffes, Tree Lions, Leopards as well as hundreds of species of birds many of which cannot be found anywhere else in the world. There are a number of beautiful secluded eco-lodges throughout the country, with spectacular views of mountains, forests, lakes and game parks. The capital city of Kampala is home to a very vibrant nightlife with a strong local live music scene, and the people are very friendly and welcoming.

• And last, but not least, this is where I was born, so I do feel a connection to Uganda.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FACING ENTREPRENEURS IN UGANDA

1. Poor Education in Rural Areas. Although education is free, many schools in Uganda lack basic supplies. Some have no furniture at all, forcing children to sit on the floor. There is a shortage of basic notebooks and pencils making it difficult to learn. Furthermore, uniforms and school supplies (books, pencils etc.) are not free, thus many parents who can’t afford these items chose to keep their children at home to help with household chores and farming. Although there are some very good private schools, for most of the population, these are not accessible for financial reasons.

2. Lack of Opportunities. As I mentioned, Uganda has a very large young population, and youth unemployment is a huge problem. For many well educated young people, the only option is to start their own business. There are plenty of hard working young entrepreneurs who just need some training, mentoring, and financial support to help them get started.

2. Poor infrastructures. Many areas, even in the major cities, don't have access to electricity, running water, proper sanitation, or access to the internet. Some of the roads in and around Kampala are still not paved, and those that are, are full of potholes, earning the capital city its nickname “Kampothole”. As a result, traffic is terrible. And there really are no public transportation systems to alleviate congestion. For me the only way to navigate around town is on a BodaBoda (motorcycle taxi). The poor roads make getting supplies or transporting products very difficult for any small business.

3. Corruption problems (Uganda ranked 140 on Transparency International's "2025 Corruption Perceptions Index"). Corruption is not limited to government agencies, but is prevalent throughout the country. Unfortunately, if you want to get anything done quickly in Uganda, you have to bribe someone. Hopefully, as the emerging generation of entrepreneurs grows, they will have enough power to fight back against corruption.

4. Expensive and Inefficient Banking System. Banks charge fees for almost every transaction and on top of that, there is an excise tax charged on the fee. For startup businesses, where every shilling counts, the banking fees eat up a significant portion of their income. As a result most Ugandans do not have bank accounts, and do business in the informal sector, making access to credit almost impossible for most. If an entrepreneur is lucky enough to get a loan the interest rates charged by lenders range from 20% to 30% per year to as high as 20% to 30% per MONTH for smaller loans.

5. A Lack of Focus. All the entrepreneurs that I have met have been trained to perfect their business model and pitch to make it appealing to investors. Their focus is on winning pitching competitions, awards and accolades. Unfortunately I see many Entrepreneurs devoting too much time and effort trying to win pitching competitions, and not enough time actually implementing the business plan. Even when an early investor is on board, many young entrepreneurs continue spending too much time seek out other grants or awards, and even tweak their business plan to qualify for the next grant. It seems their focus is on “free” money through grants and the like, and not “earned” money through sales.

With the help of Einstein Rising (Uganda) and a team of hands-on Investors and Mentors that we are building, we are trying to get the Entrepreneurs to focus on selling their products or services to the customer. If the business starts to generate a steady income through sales, the investors will come.

HOW DO YOU FIND THE ENTREPRENEURS YOU WORK WITH?

Most of the entrepreneurs that I have met in Uganda have been introduced to me through Einstein Rising (Uganda).

Einstein Rising has a specialized curriculum, coaching, mentorship, and access to investors that guides the next generation of entrepreneurs and change makers to build companies to improve the lives of Ugandans. Our shared goal is creating profitable ways to bring about permanent solutions to entrenched environmental and humanitarian obstacles.

If Einstein Rising Uganda finds an entrepreneur whose vision aligns with ours, they introduce us and we take it from there.

After we are introduced I visit the entrepreneurs, and spend some time getting to know them and their businesses. I make sure that they have basic accounting systems in place and analyse the accounting with them to see that the business is sustainable. I make sure they understand who their target customers are and how to best access them, and set up targets and goals. We have a number of follow up meetings in person and on zoom, to discuss the day to day operations of their business, and any issues that may arise. We act as a sounding board to help the entrepreneurs work through any new ideas or problems.

How Did Einstein Rising Canada Get Involved with the Girls Football Tournament?

The Girls Football Tournament was the Corporate Social responsibility (CSR) project of one of the first businesses I worked with, MiAgro Shoppers Ltd. MiAgro was a business whose goal was to give smallhold farmers direct access to household, hotel and restaurant customers for their produce at fair prices. The founders were former fellows of Building Tomorrow who worked in the schools in Kiboga District and noticed that the number of girls in school dropped significantly at the higher grade levels. They felt that football would be a great way to keep girls in school, provide them with access to women's health education, and show the traditional rural communities that girls could be more than just wives. I attended the finals of the tournament in March 2022 and was immediately hooked. I saw first hand the impact the tournament had not only on the girls, but on the whole community..

Unfortunately, MiAgro’s founder, Ainomugisha Micheal, died in an automobile accident in 2023 and the business was shut down. A key member of the MiAgro Team,Ssaabwe Innocent, kept the tournament going and restarted the business under the name SunSow Agro, which in addition to providing markets for farmers, now provides needed supplies to schools and families in Kiboga District.

Together with the team at SunSow Agro, Einstein Rising Canada hopes to increase the impact of the tournament in the years to come.

How Did Einstein Rising Canada Get Involved With the Sister School Project Start?

This project also arose from my interaction with an entrepreneur in Uganda, Zetu Africa. Responding to the lack of classroom furniture in low income primary schools (rural and refugee schools). Zetu developed solar school bags that turn into bamboo chairs with writing aids for low income classrooms lacking furniture. Since the schools and students cannot afford the SeatPacks, Zetu funds the bags through donations, and through the sale of backpacks in Europe, where each sale of a backpack funds one SeatPack.

To increase Zetu’s impact and help distribute SeatPacks to more schools in need, Einstein Rising Canada developed the Sister School program. Why not have schools in Canada help fund SeatPacks, while at the same time allow children from across the globe learn about each other’s cultures and lifestyles. This will be our first year implementing the project, where we have partnered two schools in Canada with two rural schools in Uganda. We are already seeing the enthusiasm among students in Canada after our introductory meetings, and are excited to see the results.