ABOUT US

Are you an entrepreneurship enthusiast with a brilliant business idea awaiting its translation to a business enterprise?

Are you a practicing entrepreneur and would like to scale up your business?

Join us at CIEM and get to enjoy the best support in your entrepreneurship journey.

At CIEM, we help start-ups apply information, imagination and skills in deriving greater or different values from resources and all processes by which new ideas are generated and converted into useful marketable goods or services.

The Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Management (CIEM) is an initiative of Dedan Kimathi University of Technology and is located at the University Main campus. It was established to address the needs of pre-startups, startups and practising entrepreneurs within and without the University.

Experience shows that entrepreneurs require training as well as business support services to initiate and grow their business enterprises. In view of this, CIEM exists to help entrepreneurs develop the critical skills and attitudes necessary to set up and run business enterprises sustainably

The Centre aims at contributing towards the University accomplishing its philosophy (transforming itself into an entrepreneurial University) by providing high-quality entrepreneurship training, business support services and data repository for entrepreneurs to enhance business performance and sustainability.

VISION STATEMENT OF THE CENTRE

“Be a Top Notch Centre delivering Exceptional Capacity Building Programmes in Entrepreneurship and Innovativeness in Kenya and the World“

MISSION STATEMENT

“To Produce Stewards of Excellence in Enterprise Growth by Providing Practically oriented Entrepreneurial and Innovative Capacity Building Programmes through Business Mentorship, Couching , Access to Business Networks and Real Time Business Information “

MOTTO

“Turning Business Dreams and Curiosity into Reality”

CORE VALUES OF THE CENTRE

1. Innovation and creativity
2. Teamwork
3. Excellence
4. Empowering individuals

OUR OBJECTIVES

• To develop and strengthen the quality of entrepreneurship in Kenya.
• To provide quality business support services to clients.
• To conduct baseline/market surveys on relevant issues in the society.
• To collect, store and disseminate relevant data and information to clients.
• To link clients with assistance support institutions.

 WHAT WE DO

CIEM seeks to meet the needs of entrepreneurs through the following:

Enterprise Development Programme (EDP)

This is a four module package aimed at equipping clients with critical skills, knowledge, competences and attitudes to initiate and manage viable and sustainable business enterprises. The programme is organized in such a way that clients go through the entire four modules or a specific module depending on one’s need. Clients who go through this programme will become eligible for the other Centre’s support services at reduced charges.

Support Services

The clients to this package will enjoy the following services among others: mentorship, business counseling, networking meetings and linkages to professional and financial service providers, linkage with strategic partners and assistance in intellectual property management.

Entrepreneurs that have undertaken the Enterprise Development Programme will have access to the support services at a discounted fee and will also have free access to the Repository Services.

Repository Services

Under the Repository Services, entrepreneurs will have access to important business information on various sectors. The business information will include sectoral business profiles, business research findings, sample business plan templates, policy documents, case studies, entrepreneurial games and exercises. Thus, CIEM will be actively involved in conducting business related research and surveys out of which the business directory will be created.

Consultancy services

The Centre offers consultancy services in innovation and entrepreneurship related work as well as issues to do with corporate governance, undertaking training needs assessments, conducting customer satisfaction surveys, as well preparing business plans for clients.

 Other tailor-made courses can be offered by the Centre on request by clients.

Contact us

For more information, contact us via email at entrepreneurship@dkut.ac.ke. Reach us by phone at +254 (0) 719602301

LEAVING A LEGACY OF A MAN WHO LOOKED BEYOND HIMSELF

Meet Reuben Kihiu – A Technology Enthusiast, Software Developer & Designer making an Indelible Mark through Tech Communities

“When I saw my first computer, at around the age of 10, I instantly fell in love. Since then, my passion for computers, especially software programming, has been growing more and more every day. It is this passion that led me to pursue Computer Science at my University of choice, Dedan Kimathi University of Technology (DeKUT). I chose this University because even in high school, word about its prowess and success stories in technology had gotten to me. I therefore simply made a decision to choose nothing but the best.”- Reuben Kihiu

Reuben Kihiu is our 3^rd Year 2^nd Semester student pursuing B. Sc in Computer Science. He is a Web Developer, who has dedicated most of his time and effort leveraging the web and its almost infinite capabilities in solving problems, creating business value and enhancing connectivity. In addition, he is a Software Product Designer and Graphics Designer. He says that when he is  not coding, designing or teaching students how to program, he loves attending and organizing hackathons both at the University and all over the country. Besides all the tech and computers stuff, Reuben is a fitness and body building enthusiast.

Reuben is the current President of Computer Society of Kimathi (CSoK), which is the biggest tech community in the University. He is also the Lead, Developer Student Clubs; a club by Google Developers where students are taught and guided in various technologies such as Web and Android development. In line with that, he is also a Google Developers Group (GDG) Nyeri, Co-Organizer - geared to equip and guide developers, not only at the University, but around Nyeri and Mt. Kenya Region. “As a DSC DeKUT, GDG Nyeri and CSoK Lead, I have always been challenged to learn new technologies and to share what I have learnt with the tech community. I am motivated by a desire to give back to the community using my skills and have fun while doing so. The most important work of my life is my service as a volunteer and leader because it is where I get the chance to interact, mentor and give back to the community” – he expresses.

Outside the University, Reuben is a Technovation Girls Mentor; Technovation is a global program that seeks to train young girls in high school on how to develop software from a young age and use the skills to solve problems in their communities. He is also a tech mentor who works with students and tech communities ranging from high schools to students in other Universities.

Reuben is not just our student but a key partner in the actualization of our vision and demonstration of what Dedan Kimathi University of Technology (DeKUT) stands for; contributing to the betterment of the society and to growth and development through Quality Education, Research, Innovation and Technology Transfer. In his 3 years of studies, he has represented the University in various events, both in and out of the country, and won numerous awards. Most notably, Reuben represented the University in the Africa Public Service Day at KICC, where he showcased his work to delegates and leaders from all over Africa. He also got a chance to travel to Accra, Ghana in September 2019 for the Developer Student Clubs Summit, where he represented the University and got to share the skills he learnt with the rest of the tech community back at the University. In February 2020, Reuben represented the University and the Country at large at the Open Source Community Africa Festival in Lagos, Nigeria, where he won the “Web We Want (WWW)” Challenge against competitors from all over Africa. In addition, Reuben has participated in various hackathons around the country in Universities such as Strathmore, USIU, Meru University and many others, where he and his teams have won the University countless awards.

“In all this, I am most grateful to the University for all the opportunities of learning and exposure. Since my first hackathon when I was just a month old at DeKUT, I have experienced immense support from the University, both from the administration and from DeHUB; our innovation and incubation center. My dream is to see many more like me, and even better than me pass through this great institution and go out there to make marks in the world; to make the world better. It is because of this dream that I do everything I can to train, mentor and develop many others like me both in and out of DeKUT, and give them the skills to build on and change the world. As I look forward to finishing my degree in a year, this is the legacy I would like to leave. The legacy of a man who looked beyond himself”- this is what Reuben said when asked for a parting shot.

After completing his degree in Computer Science, Reuben desires to be immensely involved in the design and development of software. Later, he looks to lead his own startup and use his skills and experience to solve problems and improve the lives of not only those around him, but also of millions all over the world.

Go forth and leave a legacy Reuben! Dedan Kimathi University of Technology is proud of you.