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 2026 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 2026 accelerator cohort.
Or, join us at one of these upcoming Ghana startup events:
- How to Create a Great First Startup Pitch using AI: 12:30am, Sep 15, 2026 (Etc/UTC): https://FI.co/e/403531
- How to Build a Strong Pipeline of Entrepreneurs for your Innovation Hub: 4:00pm, Sep 28, 2026 (Etc/UTC): https://FI.co/e/398951
- FI Alumni Panel: Meet Founders of High-Growth Startups (Q&A + Networking): 4:00pm, Oct 06, 2026 (Etc/UTC): https://FI.co/e/399003
- From Dreamer to Doer: Build the Founder Mindset: 4:00pm, Oct 13, 2026 (Etc/UTC): https://FI.co/e/399034
- From Idea to Action: The Startup Mindset : 4:00pm, Oct 20, 2026 (Etc/UTC): https://FI.co/e/399000
Applications to the Ghana - Lagos 2026 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 2BN 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.
