You’ve probably crossed paths with him whether through a dynamic workshop, a pitch session, or a one-on-one strategy huddle. For over five years, he has been a rock of support, insight, and encouragement at the @Makerere Innovation and Incubation Center, guiding countless founders toward clarity and growth. Bwire Ancel has been in business full-time for the past 8 years, leading Ancywax, and mentoring with Global Business Labs, X-Zone, and Strategy Consults and Media for 7 years. His mentorship footprint is equally expansive having served at @Miller Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, UC Berkeley Big Ideas, Startup bootcamp, @O-Farms Accelerator, Villgro Africa, and more. He is largely self-taught in marketing, sales, fundraising, and negotiation but what sets him apart is his passion to teach others how to rise, too. When asked why he mentors, his answer is both personal and profound. “I didn’t have direct support on my own business journey,” he says. “Now, I want to be that support for others to help entrepreneurs become their best, and to leave a mark as a global citizen committed to business growth.” To him, entrepreneurship isn’t a trend. It’s a tool for transforming Africa, a lifestyle that must become mainstream, particularly across the continent. He doesn’t sugarcoat the journey. One of the first things he tells founders is, “If you can’t stomach being broke, uncomfortable, and uncertain for months, don’t do business.” He believes that discipline and focus are the true superpowers of successful founders and everything else, from funding to growth, follows from there. Among his favorite memories is a moment from 2017, when he helped Musawo, a solo founder in health tech, secure a $10,000 grant over a single weekend. With no team and no support, the founder seemed out of options. But he stepped in, gathered strangers at the event, and helped turn them into a team. By the end of the weekend, they had moved from uncertainty to victory — a story of collaboration, resourcefulness, and belief. Today, he’s energized by the shifts in the startup space. The age of “vanity fundraising,” he says, is fading. In its place, bootstrapping and sales-first growth are returning to the spotlight and it’s exactly the kind of discipline he champions. He’s also inspired by macro-level change: the African Continental Free Trade Area and Agenda 2063, two frameworks that signal a new era of business integration and growth across Africa. “For once in our lifetime,” he says, “Africa’s destiny is in the hands of its entrepreneurs.” For him, the key to staying innovative lies in constant curiosity. He urges startups to read, research, and observe to use the internet not just for trends, but for deep understanding. Being informed, he says, is no longer a luxury, it's a responsibility. He often leaves founders with a reminder that echoes Mandela’s wisdom: “There is no passion to be found playing small.” Then he adds his own truth: “Start small, but think big. You die once and live every day so take your chance on entrepreneurship and give it all you’ve got.” In a world full of noise, his voice is one of clarity. And in an ecosystem still growing into its full potential, his presence remains a steady, guiding light.
Makerere Innovation and Incubation Center launched the Work Readiness Program on Thursday 15th October 2020. The Program is a tailored program for Ugandan youths aged between 18 to 35 years to prepare for, find, acquire, and keep an appropriate job as well as to be able to manage transitions to new jobs as needed in order to live a comfortable life. Many graduates today are not ready for the job market because they lack the right employable skils that meet the standards of different employers, some employers choose to take them on and they learn on job while others tend to employee those that have certain experience leaving many of these graduates unemployed. The is aimed at training these youths with employable skills to help them meet the standards of employers. Upon successful completion, selected participants will be placed with partnering companies, businesses, and organizations to provide part-time jobs/work slots to enable people to practice, learn and gain experience alongside the people working in the actual jobs. The program is supported by Mastercard foundation-Young Africa Works in partnership with The Innovation Village. Register for program
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