Staff Writer
Plans to position Windhoek as a startup hub are gaining momentum following a new initiative launched last week.
Grindstone, co-owned by Knife Capital and Thinkroom, joined ecosystem partners in Windhoek to launch the initiative under the banner Accelerate 36.
The event brought together policymakers, regulators, investors and founders to explore how Namibia can grow its startup sector and expand access to capital.
The initiative focuses on building a pipeline of startups that can scale and eventually list on the Development Capital Board of the Namibia Securities Exchange (NSX).
“We have the influence, brainpower, and energy in this room to ensure that we transform the Namibian capital markets,” said Ben Bertolini.
Accelerate 36 aims to align stakeholders to position Windhoek as a startup hub and expand the number of companies available for investment.
The plan sets out a pathway for startups. It starts with validation, moves to growth and preparation for listing, and ends with graduation to the NSX main board.
The initiative comes as Namibia’s startup sector continues to grow but faces challenges in scaling.
Few startups reach the level required to attract institutional investment.
At the same time, the local capital market has a limited number of investable companies.
The initiative aims to close this gap by preparing startups for public markets and improving governance and transparency.
The model focuses on supporting startups through capital raising and growth, with the goal of increasing the number of companies listed on the exchange.
Three Namibian startups presented their businesses at the event. These included Yyeni, PatientCare and Mindsinaction.
The startups operate in areas such as education technology, digital healthcare and skills development.
“This initiative could be the forerunner of robust liquidity in otherwise scarce funding landscapes,” said Catherine Young, managing partner of Grindstone. “Namibia could own a pioneering status in Africa for development exchanges. The time to act is now.”
Eben van Heerden, Partner at Knife Capital, said he expects more startups to succeed in the coming years.
“In my vision of five years, I see a picture of plaques of honour for ten startups that have been funded in Namibia that have exited spectacularly. These startups will make a remarkable return on investment for the people that back them.”
