Idea / Research
Original research, academic outputs and technology ideas that show productive potential — sourced from universities and independent innovators.
Universities · Innovators→Where research
becomes enterprise.
The Nayokan Startup Centre connects university innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialization — moving ideas from research through validation into ventures with real market traction.
System position ·
01 Capability02 Production03 Markets04 Innovation05 Capital06 Assets
Illustrative image
Illustrative image
Illustrative imageFrom idea to
venture — five stages.
Every venture the Startup Centre supports moves through this pipeline. Some ventures enter at earlier stages; others already have validated concepts requiring commercialization.
Model
Business-model design, value proposition, unit economics and initial venture architecture — done with Nayokan mentors.
Mentorship · Framework→Validate
Market validation, pilot customers, technical feasibility and first-revenue evidence — before capital deployment.
Pilots · Customers→Commercialize
Structured go-to-market — the industry-application-focused programme, with partners for distribution and adoption.
Programme · Partners→Scale
Handover into Nayokan Venture Capital for growth funding, or into strategic partnerships for continued expansion.
→ Venture Capital→Working with people
who have built.
Nayokan Startup Centre mentors are researchers, founders, operators and investors with lived experience in African markets.
Researchers
Turning academic work into products, and protecting the IP along the way.
Research · IP
Founders
People who have built ventures in African markets and know the early years.
Commercialization
Operators
Product, operations and go-to-market experience from working businesses.
Product · Go-to-market
Investors
Readiness, structuring and what capital expects at each stage.
Capital · Structuring
A structured
path from research
to enterprise.
Nayokan partners with Cameroonian universities and research institutions to commercialize innovation — with a shared framework for IP, revenue and long-term equity stakes in resulting ventures.
Research into ventures
A route for research outputs with productive potential into the commercialization pipeline.
Shared IP framework
Clear, agreed terms for intellectual property before any venture is formed.
Revenue and equity
Revenue sharing and long-term equity stakes in the ventures that result.
Students and researchers
Access to mentorship, programmes and opportunities for the university's innovators.
Ventures in the ecosystem.
Ventures working with the Startup Centre.
Published with consent
Portfolio coming soon.
The Centre works with ventures at every stage of the pipeline, from research outputs to ventures ready for Nayokan Venture Capital.
Have a venture
or research to
commercialize?
The Startup Centre accepts innovator applications continuously. Submissions are reviewed against the Nayokan pipeline and matched to the right stage.
Rolling