The transition to a circular economy is about more than reducing waste. It requires entrepreneurs, businesses, governments, investors, and communities to work together to redesign how products are made, used, and reused.
That was the vision behind the Circular Economy Innovation Cluster (CEIC) programme.
From 2023 to 2025, the programme brought together diverse stakeholders in Nairobi, Kenya, and Bengaluru, India to strengthen circular economy ecosystems and support entrepreneurs developing innovative solutions that prevent waste before it is created. Co-designed by Climate KIC, GrowthAfrica, and SecondMuse, and funded by the IKEA Foundation, the programme demonstrated how collaboration can drive long-term systems change.
Why circular economy innovation matters
Nairobi and Bengaluru are among the fastest-growing cities in Africa and Asia. However, rapid urbanisation has also increased pressure on waste management systems.
Together, the two cities generate millions of tonnes of waste every year. While recycling remains important, it addresses waste after it has already been created.
The CEIC programme took a different approach.
Instead of focusing only on waste management, it prioritised upstream circular economy innovation helping entrepreneurs design products, services, and business models that reduce waste from the beginning.
The programme supported innovations across several sectors, including plastics, textiles, organic waste, construction materials, and e-waste, creating solutions that deliver both environmental and economic value.
GrowthAfrica’s role in building the ecosystem
As the local implementation partner in Nairobi, GrowthAfrica played a key role in turning the programme’s vision into action.
Working alongside Climate KIC, GrowthAfrica went beyond supporting individual startups. It focused on strengthening the entire circular economy ecosystem by connecting entrepreneurs with investors, government agencies, private sector partners, entrepreneurship support organisations (ESOs), and community organisations.
GrowthAfrica delivered tailored entrepreneurship support through business coaching, technical assistance, investor readiness, catalytic grants, and networking opportunities. It also convened stakeholder forums that encouraged collaboration, knowledge sharing, and stronger partnerships across the ecosystem.
The organisation further contributed to building local capacity by supporting the development of the Circular Venture Blueprint and helping establish a stronger foundation for local ownership as the programme transitions into its next phase.
As Patricia Jumi, Co-Founder and Executive Director of GrowthAfrica, notes in the report, the programme helped transform Nairobi’s circular economy ecosystem from fragmented efforts into a more connected and confident community, while strengthening relationships between entrepreneurs, policymakers, NGOs, private companies, and informal workers.
Building stronger circular economy ecosystems
Innovation thrives when the right people work together.
Instead of operating as a traditional accelerator, CEIC focused on building meaningful connections across the ecosystem.
Over three years, the programme:
- Engaged more than 350 stakeholders
- Supported over 50 circular ventures
- Facilitated more than 120 collaborations
- Worked across nine waste sectors in Kenya and India
These connections created opportunities for entrepreneurs to access investors, customers, suppliers, mentors, and policymakers while strengthening collaboration across both cities.
Supporting entrepreneurs beyond funding
Access to finance is only one part of the entrepreneurial journey.
Through GrowthAfrica and its partners, entrepreneurs received personalised support that combined catalytic grants with coaching, technical assistance, investor introductions, business mentoring, and circularity impact assessments.
This flexible approach helped founders strengthen their business models, improve operations, validate their solutions, and better communicate their environmental and social impact to customers and investors.
Creating an inclusive circular economy
A successful circular economy must also create opportunities for people.
Many livelihoods in Nairobi and Bengaluru depend on waste collection and recycling. Recognising this, the programme embedded social inclusion throughout its activities.
Participating businesses improved workplace safety, strengthened employment practices, expanded opportunities for women, and created better working conditions for informal workers.
Overall, the programme supported improvements for more than 1,500 informal workers, demonstrating that environmental sustainability and social inclusion can go hand in hand.
Creating knowledge that lasts
The programme also identified a need for better tools to support circular businesses.
Working with ecosystem partners, CEIC co-created the Circular Venture Blueprint ; an open-source resource that helps entrepreneurship support organisations better understand and support circular ventures.
Alongside Circularity Impact Assessments, the Blueprint equips entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders with practical tools to measure impact, strengthen business strategies, and attract investment.
Together, these resources continue to strengthen the circular economy ecosystem well beyond the life of the programme.
Key lessons
The Circular Economy Innovation Cluster demonstrates that lasting systems change begins with strong ecosystems.
By bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, governments, businesses, and communities, the programme created an environment where circular innovation could grow, partnerships could flourish, and sustainable businesses could scale.
GrowthAfrica’s leadership in Nairobi highlights the importance of locally driven ecosystem building. Through entrepreneurship support, stakeholder engagement, and capacity building, the organisation helped create stronger connections that will continue to drive circular innovation beyond the programme itself.
As CEIC enters its next phase, its experience provides a practical roadmap for advancing circular economy innovation showing that collaboration, continuous learning, and local ownership are essential to building more resilient and sustainable economies.
Read the full report here: Driving circular economy innovation in India and Kenya.
