SALT LAKE CITY — After spending five days in the hospital with a typhoid fever infection, Emmanuel Egbroko stepped up with the goal of helping Africans prevent infectious diseases.
So he started Inocul8, a company that uses technology to increase access to preventive health products and services. We offer clinical testing services, immunization services, online doctor consultation, and more.
“I started a mission called Inocul8 to help Africans prevent infectious diseases. Inocul8 is my life and purpose, and I believe prevention is better and cheaper than cure. It’s a platform that we use to actually communicate that to the world,” Egbroko said.
Now, Egbroko is fulfilling his mission as one of the first 20 African entrepreneurs in the University of Utah’s recently launched Master of Business Creation Global Program.
After years of growth within and across the United States, the program is now offered on a global level through online offerings that combine business accelerators and graduate degrees in business.
“Our goal is to be the premier, U.S.-accredited, world-class graduate degree for entrepreneurs, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” said John, founding faculty member of the Master of Business Creativity program and said Jeff Davis, director of global programs. “We will be the number one graduate program for entrepreneurs around the world.”
The program was first introduced in the U.S. in 2019, and more than 200 founders have since joined. We combine the best of business accelerators and top-ranked universities to provide entrepreneurs with the information and resources they need to grow and expand their companies.
This program is offered in partnership with the David Eccles School of Business’s Department of Entrepreneurship and Strategy and the Lassonde Institute for Entrepreneurship.
Once the idea of expanding the program became a reality, the next bridge for the United States to cross was to find international companies and find a way to get the word out.
Professor Davis said the University of Utah will need to navigate the legal regulations associated with governing online education in other countries, in this case Africa, and how public institutions like the United States can conduct online education. said.
We want to give entrepreneurs from all over the world the opportunity to participate in this unique program for working entrepreneurs. In the next few years, founders from all over the world will be joining.
– Jeff Davis, Master of Business Creation Global Program Director
“Ultimately, after all the legal analysis and strategy was planned, we were given the authority to expand into four African countries,” Davis said.
The 20 companies in the first cohort are located in Ghana (15 companies), Nigeria (2 companies), Kenya (2 companies), and South Africa (1 company).
The United States launched an outreach effort through alumni and donors, and also used assistance from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to spread the word about the program.
Entrepreneurs were then able to apply to the program through a website, where they were asked to fill out an application, market their company, and take an admissions review.
“We want to give entrepreneurs from all over the world the opportunity to participate in this unique program for working entrepreneurs.We expect to see founders from all over the world joining us in the coming years. “We’re doing it,” Davis said.
Although not face-to-face, the global iteration of the Master of Business Creativity program incorporates all the core elements of the successful U.S. program.
Global program founders have access to one-on-one mentorship from experienced local entrepreneurs, applied and relevant curriculum, networking opportunities, and more. They will also join a growing international network of Master of Business Creation alumni, founders, faculty, and mentors.
Mr Davis said the first cohort represented a diverse range of sectors including technology, education, agriculture, vision services, climate insurance and more.
“It’s really very exciting. We’ve found a very interesting group of companies, including health care, social assistance, construction materials and some food companies, so we’re very excited,” Davis said.
This lights up this entrepreneurial path and I can already feel how much my business is changing in the first few weeks.
– Caroline Pomay, Founder of Oceans Mall
Additionally, Davis emphasized that the program is not an incubator. In other words, they’re not trying to launch ground-level ideas.
“We look for companies that generate revenue, have proven product market fit, whose ideas resonate with consumers, (and) have earned early sales,” Davis said. spoke. “This program is specifically aimed at early-stage entrepreneurs. We can really help accelerate that.”
Caroline Pomei, a student on the program from Accra, Ghana, is the founder of Oceans Mall, which connects small-scale fishermen to profitable urban markets through digital supply chain services. The company aims to reduce post-harvest losses.
“I come from a fishing community in Ghana, so I have experienced the challenges faced by local fishermen,” Pomei said. “But I realized I could make a big impact while creating wealth. The fishing sector is a vibrant sector that is very often overlooked.”
Pomei enrolled in the program because it gave her the opportunity to further her studies while running her business.
“This lights up this entrepreneurial journey, and I already love how much my business has changed in the first few weeks,” Pommier said.
This program has a tuition fee of $15,000.
Davis said he hopes to expand the program further across Africa in the coming years, while also expanding to other regions around the world, continuing to build on the success of the U.S. program that made expansion possible in the first place. .
“We thoroughly help them understand finance, marketing and sales to grow their companies,” Davis said. “Ten, 20, 30, 40 years from today, people will be talking about this MBC. This amazing degree is designed and customized for entrepreneurs around the world. ”
