At Nest Nairobi, we host a monthly entrepreneurship speaker series in Nairobi where we bring together some of the cities' brightest minds working on a specific vertical to ask them, #WhatsNext?

We are excited to partner with Kenya Climate Innovation Centre to host #WhatsNext AgTech Panel scheduled on Wednesday 27th January at Strathmore Business School.

Meet our speakers and read a brief bio about them

Edward Mungai - CEO Kenya Climate Innovation Centre (Opening Keynote)

Mr. Edward Mungai is the Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Climate Innovation Center (CIC). The CIC supports a holistic country driven approach to accelerate the development, deployment and transfer of locally relevant climate technologies. Mr. Mungai has a multifaceted background in business advisory, entrepreneurship, and investment management, based on his experience working with the Danish International Investment Funds (IFU), KPMG East Africa, and Genesis Investment Management Limited. He has thorough experience in development financing mechanisms, with special interests in the agribusiness, renewable energy, and water and sanitation sectors. Mr. Mungai holds an Executive MBA from the Scandinavian International Management Institute and a Business Management degree from Moi University, Kenya.

PANEL MODERATOR

Zeynab Wandati - Business Reporter at NTV Kenya

Zeynab Wandati is an award winning journalist working with NTV and host of Food Friday. She specializes in business journalism with a keen interest in agriculture and climate change. As a science journalist, Zeynab has won a continental award for excellence in climate change reporting in the TV category, under the Africa Climate Change and Environmental Reporting Award. Through this Award, she was able to cover the global United Nations climate change meeting in Lima, Peru, last year .

Zeynab is also a board member of Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA), an association of science journalists and communicators in East Africa.

PANELISTS

Linda Kwamboka Co-Founder at MFarm Ltd

Linda is one of Kenya's young serial techprenuers thriving to make money while bringing social change. In 2010 she Co-Founded MFarm Ltd, an enterprise whose mission is to empower farmers in Kenya and around the globe by providing them with a social platform to learn, share knowledge and take produce to the market. Through this, M-Farm introduces efficiency and profitability through; up-to-date market information, current agri- trends, advisory services & aggregate farmers needs/orders and connect them to sell collectively. Linda has great interest in Designing for users and nurturing talent in women and young people in general. She holds a Bachelors degree in Business Information Technology from Strathmore University.

Grant Brooke CEO at Twiga Foods

Grant is a social economist, CEO and Founder of Twiga Foods. Twiga Foods is reshaping the distribution of fresh fruit and veg in Africa's urban markets by employing scaled logistics, IT solutions, and fair farmer-relationship practices. He holds a

Munyutu Waigi Co-Founder of Umati Capital

Munyutu is the co-founder and CEO of Umati Capital - a company that provides a suite of web and mobile applications to automate your supply chain management in different agricultural value chains and enables Umati Capital finance key actors and suppliers. Previously Munyutu in conjunction with Ringier co-founded Kenya’s Rupu which was acknowledged as one of Africa’s top tech startups by Forbes Africa in 2012. For 3 years, Munyutu held the role of General Manager at Ringier Kenya responsible for country operations across their various digital platforms. Prior to joining Ringier, Munyutu worked for Accenture – UK, where he undertook long-term client engagements for HSBC and British Telecom. Prior to Accenture, he was part of the IT management of the Williams F1 team. He holds a BSc Information Systems, Honours (Brunel University, UK)

Stefano Carcoforo - CEO and Co-Founder of iProcure Africa

Stefano is the co-founder of iProcure - an innovative, affordable and effective last mile distribution company for agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, animal feeds, supplements, machinery and tools to farmers in Kenya. Born in Nairobi. Stefano chose to pursue a career in systems engineering and began his career working for a branch of Phillips Engineering as a Systems Engineer.After 2 years he left to work in the field of development. Stefano has worked extensively overseeing large development projects in Cameroon and Haiti (Post-Earthquake) During that time he development systems to improve supply chain processes in the construction industry as well as software to facilitate in real-time remote reporting of project progress.

Stefano holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree (hons) MSc in in Business/Project management from Oxford Brookes University, he is fluent in English, French, Swahili, Italian.

Marion Moon - Managing Director Wanda Organic

Marion Moon, a Kenyan social entrepreneur supported by the Kenya Climate Innovation Centre started Wanda Organic Limited, to help small farmers increase productivity without compromising the quality of the soil and the delicate ecosystem. Marion attained a Business Management degree from Macquarie University in Sydney Australia. Upon her graduation, Marion returned home and worked as a marketer in both Kenya and Uganda focused in the banking and insurance sectors for six years. Feeling unfulfilled and with deep desire for social equity she decided to start an organization that not only made a profit but also created social and environmental equity. Wanda Organic identifies and provides sustainable solutions to the agricultural sector focusing on soil and plant health.

Charles Odida – Farmer

Charles will represent the small holder farmers on the panel. In most African countries, agriculture accounts for 70% of the labour force, over 25% of GDP and 20 % of agribusiness. Agriculture remains largely concentrated in the hands of small holders. As a small holder farmer, Charles grows sugarcane, maize, bananas, arrow roots and rears chicken on his farms located in Transzoia, Kakamega and Kisumu Counties. Charles holds a Bsc from Moi University, MBA Strategic Management from University of Nairobi and MA Project Planning and Management from the same University.

Chris Kolenberg Director Marketing and Sales at Kenya Biologics

Chris is currently mainly responsible for marketing and sales, general management of production facility, as well as overseeing finances at Kenya Biologics Kenya Biologics - a bio-pesticide producing company. Further responsibilities include dealing with external parties such as KEPHIS, PCPB, local and overseas suppliers, and writing reports and business plans for investors. Previously Chris was a Commanding Officer Special Forces Team Royal Dutch Army where he managed Special Forces team during operational and non-operational tasks. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Aston Business School, Birmingham.

#WhatsNext is all about insightful discussions, inspiring conversations and great networking! RSVP early before spots run out - and please help us spread the word to relevant people and organizations in your networks!