YAKWETU Named first-ever Winner from Africa, and Creative Industry, at WIPO Global Awards!
- 17 Jul 2023
Yakwetu online, Kenyan entertainment technology startup has been honoured as 1 of the 7 Winners of the 2023 WIPO Global Awards, at the 64th General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organisation.
Now in its second year, the WIPO Global Awards recognises small & medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from around the globe, that are successfully commercialising their IP-backed innovation and creativity in an exceptional manner, that also improves society.
Yakwetu has emerged as 1 of the 7 Winners from 548 Submissions and 25 Finalists – from 16 Countries and from Industries like creative, food, green technology, health & more, for its first service https://app.mymovies.africa.
“Yakwetu in Kiswahili means both ‘Of Us’ and ‘For Us’. We chose this Name, because it Articulates our Purpose of Making Available digital Content for Entertainment & Education – from Africans, to Africans; while Protecting it from its greatest Threat – Piracy, and Monetising it Equitably for the Creators.
Yakwetu is deeply honoured to be the first African company, and first from the Creative Industry globally, to receive this Award from WIPO”, said Mike Strano, Co-Founder & Chief Operations Officer, at the Ceremony. “I would like to Thank the thousands of Customers on our first service – MyMovies.Africa™ in The Motherland & her Diaspora, our Content Creators & Partners for believing in us, our very talented & dedicated Staff, our generous Board of Advisors & Directors and my Co-Founder – Trushna Buddhdev-Patel. To you all I say Ubuntu – We are, because You are. Asanteni sana.”
This announcement follows an October 2021 recognition, when Yakwetu was 1 of 5 (from over 200 applications) admitted to the 2nd Cohort in Kenya of the Next INnovation with JApan (NINJA) Accelerator; which concluded with the Launch of their Fundraising in January 2022.
WIPO Global Award winners will receive a customised 1:1 mentoring package to bolster their IP strategies, including funding facilitation, partnership opportunities and publicity support.
