iHub
Nairobi-based innovation centre founded in 2010 that runs startup support, coworking and education programmes, including the Kenyan arm of the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship. It has been part of Co-creation Hub (CcHUB) since 2019.
Industry: Technology innovation hub and incubator | Location: Nairobi, Kenya | Founded: 2010
About iHub
iHub is an innovation centre in Nairobi, Kenya, that supports technology entrepreneurs and startups. Its website says it aims to build an environment of trust and experimentation for African technology entrepreneurship. Its programmes cover startup support and incubation, technology and society, education, innovation and the creative economy, and it rents coworking space that members book online.
iHub has operated since 2010. In August 2013 ITWeb Africa reported that co-founder Erik Hersman was handing day-to-day management to Josiah Mugambi, who became executive director on 1 September 2013, while Hersman stayed on as board chair.
On 26 September 2019 Lagos-based Co-creation Hub (CcHUB) announced that it had acquired iHub, with the price undisclosed. iHub kept its name and senior management structure. At that point iHub said more than 500 companies had received business support from it and more than 100 had gone through its incubation and accelerator programmes. Nekesa J. Were, then iHub's managing director, said startups from iHub had raised over USD 40 million. Its website now says more than 450 startups trace their roots to iHub, more than 5,000 people have worked with it and more than one million people have attended its events.
Education work is a current focus. iHub is the Kenya implementation partner for the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship. On 24 July 2026 it announced 12 startups for the fellowship's fourth Kenyan cohort, each eligible for up to USD 100,000 in equity-free funding over 18 months. Nissi Madu, iHub's managing partner, was quoted in the announcement. TechScoop reported in June 2026 that iHub is also the implementation partner for the programme's third Kenyan cohort. Its news page also lists a second Spark Accelerator Program cohort in October 2025.
A LinkedIn post by iHub from early 2026 invited attendees to a Nairobi EdTech meetup to meet its new chief executive, Ciku Mbugua. iHub is part of CcHUB and has not published funding or financial figures.
Leadership
- Erik Hersman, Co-founder
- Josiah Mugambi, Executive Director
- Nekesa J. Were, Managing Director
- Nissi Madu, Managing Partner