The week beginning 8 September saw the exciting conclusion of the inaugural Commonwealth Startup Fellowship with Capstone Week in London – a dynamic programme of events designed to celebrate Fellows’ achievements and foster deep engagement with entrepreneurship across the Commonwealth.
A week of high-impact engagement
Over the five days, Capstone Week featured a rich mix of activities that brought together Fellows, investors, policymakers, and thought leaders:
Professor Kevin Ibeh speaking at the Capstone Showcase
- Welcome dinner
- Investor showcase hosted by Imperial College London
- Tour of the Houses of Parliament
- CSC panel discussion and focus groups
- Panel event at Marlborough House hosted by The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and the Commonwealth Secretariat
- Farewell gathering
The Capstone Showcase on Tuesday drew an impressive online audience of around 1,800 viewers, with 18 of the 19 businesses pitching to potential investors. Fellows were grouped by industry across two rooms, with introductions from CSC Commissioner Professor Kevin Ibeh and CSC Chair Professor Robin Mason.
Keynote speakers Babatunde Soyoye (Helios Investment Partners, Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, Imperial alumnus) and Professor Hugh Brady (President, Imperial College London) addressed the audience alongside four Fellows chosen to showcase their ventures:
- Maryanne Gichanga, Agritech Analytics
- Nishant Agarwal, lifeandlimb.ai
- Dr Taiwo Oyewole, Radease
- Nyifamu Ogechi Manzo, Farmatrix
Exploring entrepreneurship as a driver of development
Thursday’s Capstone Panel hosted by the CSC was a standout moment, exploring how entrepreneurship can be a vehicle for development. Chaired by CSC Commissioner Professor Parmjit Jat, the panel featured guest speaker Dr Shamsul Karim (University of Essex) and a panel of Fellows:
- Editha Mshiu, Freshpack Technologies
- Abhimanyu Singh, Hexpressions
- Denis Muchoki, E-Moti
- Adekoyejo Kuye, Kamim Technologies
- Stephen Ogweno, Lifesten Health
This session reflected the Fellowship’s dual focus: practical entrepreneurial support and contributions to wider policy and social impact conversations across the Commonwealth.
Strengthening entrepreneurial networks
Friday’s flagship event at Marlborough House, which explored the theme of ‘Building entrepreneurial ecosystems: insights from Commonwealth Scholarship entrepreneurs’, was chaired by ACU Secretary General and Chief Executive Professor Colin Riordan and featured:
- Professor Kevin Ibeh, CSC Commissioner and Professor of Marketing and International Business, Birkbeck, University of London
- Dr Rajeshwar Jeetah, High Commissioner of Mauritius
- His Excellency Stephen Montefort, High Commissioner of Malta
- Dr Arjoon Suddhoo, Deputy Secretary-General, Commonwealth Secretariat
The Fellows presenting their work included:
- Maryanne Gichanga, Agritech Analytics
- Akshay Kawale, Agrowsure
- Madalitso Chimpeni, Mpepu Energy
- Ife Olatayo, Farmslate Technologies
Looking ahead
The second cohort of Commonwealth Startup Fellows will begin their journey with a bootcamp in Accra, Ghana in November. The 23 new Fellows, including two Fellows funded by Imperial Global Ghana, will participate in a six-month programme of workshops, mentorship, and coaching to kick-start their business development journey.
Capstone Week will return in May 2026 to support the new cohort of Fellows in connecting with investors and scaling their ventures for sustainable impact.
The Commonwealth Startup Fellowship aims to enhance the Fellows’ entrepreneurial skillsets to boost job creation, deliver innovation, and advance inclusive development across the Commonwealth.
Learn more about all the Fellows and ventures from cohort one.
