EDI and STEMpower Collaborate to Advance National Startup Ecosystem

The Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) and STEMpower Inc. signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the EDI Headquarters to accelerate the growth of Ethiopia’s entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem. The agreement was officially signed in Addis Ababa on June 12, 2026, by Dr. Hassan Hussien, CEO of EDI, and Dr. Simenew Keskes, Country Director of STEMpower.

This partnership commits EDI and STEMpower to collaborate on delivering robust business development services (BDS), capacity-building programs, and specialized incubation and acceleration support for technology-based startups.

The initiative will leverage campus-based STEM centers and fabrication laboratories (FabLabs) to grant young innovators and early-stage startups vital access to maker spaces and prototyping tools.

The initiative focuses on making the ecosystem more inclusive by actively engaging women, youth, and underrepresented groups. To ensure viability, EDI will spearhead institutional connections with financial entities to unlock innovative funding streams, grant opportunities, and market linkages for rising entrepreneurs.

By merging STEM-driven technical innovation with comprehensive business readiness frameworks, both organizations aim to build sustainable, innovation-to-market pathways that establish a competitive, vibrant private sector across the nation.