Championing Creative Growth & Financial Empowerment at the Nairobi Startup Summit

May 13, 2025 21

Written by Myra Maloba on Wednesday, 14 May 2025.

On April 29th, I had the privilege of speaking at the Nairobi Startup Summit – 3rd Edition held at Sarit Expo Centre. Themed “Scaling Kenyan Startups for Global Impact”, the event brought together visionary entrepreneurs, investors, creatives, and thought leaders passionate about driving meaningful innovation across Kenya’s startup and creative ecosystems.

I was honored to join a panel discussion on Digital Marketing and Scaling in the Creative Economy, where we explored the evolving role of storytelling, audience engagement, and media in helping creative ventures achieve scale and sustainability. It was an energizing conversation filled with practical insights, shared challenges, and inspiring success stories from across the continent.

As Managing Director of Icon Radio, I shared how platforms like ours can provide not only exposure but also structure, mentorship, and strategic visibility to emerging creatives and startups. Media is not just a spotlight, it’s a springboard.

Empowering Creatives Through Skill & Structure

In the same spirit of growth and impact, I’m proud to announce a new initiative:
The Artistic Development Program, a collaboration between Icon Radio and AFTTTI Training Institute (Africa Film TV Talent Training Institute).

This program is designed to:

Equip young artists with industry-relevant creative skills
Provide mentorship and training in media, performance, and production
Empower artists with essential financial literacy to support sustainable careers

We believe that talent alone is not enough. Today’s artists need to be creators, marketers, and managers of their own brands. By combining artistic excellence with financial empowerment, we’re laying the foundation for a new wave of creative entrepreneurs who understand both the art and the business of their work.

What’s Next?

The response at the Nairobi Startup Summit affirmed what many of us already know: Kenya’s creative economy holds massive untapped potential. As we continue to scale, collaborate, and invest in our talent pipeline, we must also ensure that support systems, from training to financing to media platforms, are aligned and accessible.

To every innovator, artist, and changemaker I met at the summit … let’s keep building.
And to those looking for the next opportunity to learn and grow, the Icon Radio x AFTTTI Artistic Development Program is just getting started.

Let’s scale, sustainably and boldly.

Myra Maloba is the Founder and Managing Director at Icon Radio.