Broader opportunities seem to be coming the way of startups in Africa as Hong Kong’s first private startup incubator and seed investor Nest, expands to Africa joining the ranks of Ghana’s MEST, Nigeria’s 440ng, et al, facilitating growth for startups. Nest hopes to give supports to startups in Africa in terms of funding, networking and professional advisory for fledging entrepreneurs.

Nest CEO Simon Squibb was pretty excited about the opportunity. “There is a lot of exciting talent in Africa and there’s a huge opportunity to scale businesses both across the continent and also globally. We can enhance access to financial services and develop effective education and healthcare technologies that reach the bottom of the pyramid and directly impact people’s lives,” he says.

Nest Founder and CEO Simon Squibb

This expansion starts in Nairobi, Kenya and then makes its way into other parts of Africa with the hope of creating an Afro-Asian community of entrepreneurs. Managing partner, Aaron Fu will head the Nairobi office and will be charged with extending Nest’s Incubator programs to other innovation epicenters in Africa.

With an MSc in Business in Emerging Markets from the University of Edinburgh coupled with vast experience in different fields ranging from digital strategy and Technology across Africa and Europe, Fu will be bringing a bundle of hands-on experience to Nairobi’s Nest.

Nest’s admirable pioneering in Hong Kong will see them reintroduce vigor into entrepreneurial ventures in across the world and especially Africa. The Nairobi office will be the epicenter and springboard for the African innovation community.

When asked on how easy it will be to bridge the gap between Asia and Africa, Fu has this to say: “While we are based in Kenya we will be working across Africa to find the best ideas and talent, in particular Lagos, Accra and Cape Town where the startup scene is already flourishing. By combining the best practices of two vibrant startup ecosystems – Nairobi and Hong Kong – and connecting two continents, we are well placed to help founders internationalise their startups and scale innovations into, across and out of Africa.

So, brace up Afropreneurs, Hong Kong is about to ‘nest’ with you.