The Space Hub, home to some of Uganda's tech startups has decided to relocate from Bukoto Street to Lugogo bypass. This was revealed to us by Joshua Mugisha, one of the owners of the hub and a director at Qwicart - an online groceries store.
According to Joshua, they are in the process of fixing and fitting their new location, which is a warehouse off Lugogo bypass.
The Space Hub was launched in early 2016 as a co-working space for businesses within the digital space. Since inception, it has served as home to several businesses.
These include Pearl Guide, Eatout, TNS and Qwicart as well as One Africa Media's BrighterMonday and Cheki in Uganda.
When asked about the source of funding for the hub. Joshua informed us that they're "currently a self-funded initiative."
"But with the change in direction we are taking with the relocation and refocusing of our objective, we shall be looking for strategic partnerships in ensuring we realize successful stories from within," Joshua added.
However, there are no hubs or incubators in Africa that are self-sustaining. In fact, most of them are heavily subsidized to stay afloat. Yet, this won't deter Joshua and his team.
"It should be noted that this is a very young concept in Uganda hence the expectation of self-sustainability is very early. Success stories aren’t born overnight but take time and diligence," Joshua said.
With the relocation, Joshua projects that they will contribute more to the ecosystem. Measured by how many businesses can achieve scale and launch out of their incubation Hub.
Related: [UPDATE] Former Kamwokya-based The Hub Kampala Set to Re-Launch as Design Hub Kampala
"As mentioned, we are shifting from being a shared workspace to a business incubator. However, we’ll be handpicking who gets into. We intend to work with these businesses to achieve a sustainable level of success," Joshua added.