How The Somo Project Is Empowering Kenya's Grassroots Entrepreneurs
Across Nairobi's low-income neighborhoods — Kibera, Kayole, Korogocho — a quiet transformation is underway. The Somo Project, a social enterprise based in Kenya, provides a holistic system of support targeting low-income entrepreneurs, helping them transform their own communities by launching and scaling their businesses.
Investing Where Others Won't
Somo uses data and social relationships to invest resources in the micro and small businesses that form the backbone of the African economy — enterprises that traditional investors often dismiss as too risky. Rather than a single training session or one-off grant, Somo builds a full pipeline of support.
Unlike programs that focus on just one or two stages of the entrepreneurial journey, Somo offers a suite of interventions spanning the entire path — from foundational business skills training, through ideation and mentorship, to access to capital and beyond.
The Numbers Behind the Mission
The results speak for themselves. Between 2016 and the end of 2023, Somo has trained 7,358 entrepreneurs digitally in key business skills, provided financing to 519 Somo-supported businesses, and helped those entrepreneurs create job opportunities for more than 13,000 people.
The impact goes beyond job creation. Three-quarters of entrepreneurs in Somo's Acceleration program report improved livelihoods, with an average 3x increase in income compared to typical earnings in their communities.
From Idea to Nonprofit
Somo's growth has been steady and demand-driven. What began five years ago as a proposal submitted to the Big Ideas Contest has grown into a viable nonprofit that now receives close to 2,000 applications annually from Kenyan entrepreneurs hoping to launch their business ideas — and has helped 58 of them build companies through its two-year acceleration program.
A Mission Rooted in Local Talent
At its core, Somo bets on the people already embedded in the communities it serves. The organization believes that talented local teams are best equipped to build sustainable enterprises in their own low-income communities, and are the ones best positioned to address the problems those communities face. Somo is committed to closing the gap in stable, long-term capital by offering long-term partnership and encouraging entrepreneurs to think bigger and build scalable enterprises.