As part of the Founder Institute’s Startup Ecosystem Leaders series, we were pleased to welcome FI program director Simon Turner last week for an update on the latest developments in Ghana's startup and tech ecosystem.
Simon R. Turner has been the Managing Director of the Ghana Founder Institute accelerator for 3 years now since its launch in 2019, is currently a Venture Partner at BetaRaise with Impact Hub Accra, and is also a televised Startup Judge on the 'Circular Economy Competition' series from GHOne TV, as well as on the 'McDan Entrepreneurship Challenge' show. Prior to moving to Ghana 7 years ago, Simon Turner successfully helped to launch PropTech startups based in Australia and Singapore, as well as had a previous career in the Royal Australian Air Force.
In this video, FI Ghana Director Simon Turner shares his thoughts on the ‘state of the startup’ in Ghana's tech ecosystem today, which emerging developments excite him the most, what has surprised him across working with so many early-stage entrepreneurs in Ghana, and much more.
Plus, learn a few startup success stories of recent FI Ghana Alumni, about the amazing local program partners and mentors, and open event dates and application deadlines for the upcoming Ghana - Lagos Spring 2025 Founder Institute pre-seed accelerator cohort!
Watch FI HQ's full interview with FI Ghana Director Simon Turner:
If you're a Ghanian pre-seed stage entrepreneur interested in finding direction on your own startup journey, and you haven’t done so already, head over here to learn more about the next FI Ghana - Lagos Spring 2025 accelerator cohort.
Or, join us at one of these upcoming Ghana startup events:
- What is the DNA of an Entrepreneur? Insights from 15 Years of Research: 1:00am, Jan 23, 2025 (Africa/Monrovia): https://FI.co/e/362718
- Founder Institute Online Information Session: https://FI.co/infosession
- How to Align Your Brand Messaging with Your Startup Mission: 6:00pm, Jan 27, 2025 (Africa/Monrovia): https://FI.co/e/362992
- FI Alumni Panel: Meet Portfolio Companies and Ask Questions: 6:00pm, Jan 29, 2025 (Africa/Monrovia): https://FI.co/e/363475
- Employee to Entrepreneur: How to Make the Trasition to Startup Founder : 1:00am, Feb 04, 2025 (Africa/Monrovia): https://FI.co/e/363768
- Launching and Scaling Startups in Africa: Insights from FI Founders: 4:00pm, Feb 05, 2025 (Africa/Monrovia): https://FI.co/e/366185
- Startup Pitch Practice: Share Your Idea and Get Expert Feedback: 6:00pm, Feb 05, 2025 (Africa/Monrovia): https://FI.co/e/363828
- How to Come Up with Great Startup Ideas: 6:00pm, Feb 10, 2025 (Africa/Monrovia): https://FI.co/e/364005
- Meet the African Startup Ecosystem : 5:00pm, Feb 12, 2025 (Africa/Monrovia): https://FI.co/e/364144
- Investor Valuation Basics: How to Assess Your Startup’s Worth with Neil Shah: 1:00am, Feb 25, 2025 (Africa/Monrovia): https://FI.co/e/364518
- Ask an Investor Anything: Q&A with Javier Caruso: 6:00pm, Feb 27, 2025 (Africa/Monrovia): https://FI.co/e/364262
- How to Adopt an Entrepreneurial Mindset: 6:00pm, Mar 03, 2025 (Africa/Monrovia): https://FI.co/e/366217
- Co-Founder Networking: Sales and Marketing Partner Matchmaking: 5:00pm, Mar 12, 2025 (Africa/Monrovia): https://FI.co/e/364702
- What is the DNA of an Entrepreneur? Insights from 15 Years of Research: 5:00pm, Mar 19, 2025 (Africa/Monrovia): https://FI.co/e/364870
- Startup Fundraising Q&A: Meet Investors from the FI Venture Network: 12:00am, Mar 25, 2025 (Africa/Monrovia): https://FI.co/e/365341
- Startup Pitch Practice: Share Your Idea and Get Expert Feedback: 12:00am, Mar 27, 2025 (Africa/Monrovia): https://FI.co/e/365171
- Employee to Entrepreneur: How to Make the Trasition to Startup Founder : 5:00pm, Apr 07, 2025 (Africa/Monrovia): https://FI.co/e/365695
- Co-Founder Networking: Find a Business Partner: 12:00am, Apr 17, 2025 (Africa/Monrovia): https://FI.co/e/366809
- How to Come Up with Great Startup Ideas: 12:00am, Apr 29, 2025 (Africa/Monrovia): https://FI.co/e/366721
- What is the DNA of an Entrepreneur? Insights from 15 Years of Research: 12:00am, May 08, 2025 (Africa/Monrovia): https://FI.co/e/366597
- Startup Fundraising Q&A: Meet Investors from the FI Venture Network: 5:00pm, May 12, 2025 (Africa/Monrovia): https://FI.co/e/366555
Applications to the Ghana - Lagos Spring 2025 Founder Institute are now open, and anyone building an applicable tech company can apply at FI.co/apply/accra.
Graduates of the Founder Institute are creating some of the world's fastest growing startups, having raised over $1.85BN in funding, and building products people love across over 200 cities worldwide.
See the most recent news from our Grads at FI.co/news, or learn more about their stories at FI.co/graduates.
