High School, Chapati Food Stand, and My First Employee

‍

While still in high school (2008), I was living in a private hostel. One term, the hostel decided to hike the accommodation fees by a whopping 50,000 Ugandan shillings (around $13 today). Outraged by this injustice, I decided to pack my bags, leave the hostel, and find a cheaper alternative. And cheap, I did find... though I learned that "cheap" often comes with a reason, as I discovered later. But that's a story for another time.

The new hostel was significantly cheaper. At the time, my cousin and I had started a small food restaurant. Since he was older, he ran it while I attended school. However, I named the place, and we co-invested in it. I checked by regularly, fueled by my burning entrepreneurial spirit. Inspired and enthusiastic, I was ready to delve into the business world.

With the money I saved from the cheaper accommodation, I also opened a chapati stand near my new hostel. I purchased the equipment, found a location, paid the rent, and prepared for launch. I hired a childhood friend from my home neighbourhood who, unfortunately, couldn't continue his studies. He became my very first employee, and together we started my first official physical business: a chapati food stand. We served the famous Ugandan rolex, kikomando (look them up!), and other baked pastries.

This experience was my first taste of leadership, business operations, managing rent and salaries, and understanding profit margins — all while in my first year of A-levels. On top of that, I still had schoolwork to manage! By the way, my parents didn't know about the business.

From this venture, I not only learned a lot about business at a young age but also gained a great deal. I bought my first phone with my own money, helped some cousins kickstart their chip restaurant with some of my earnings, and understood the immense value these achievements held coming from a developing nation.

So, at this point in my life, I had two small businesses while still in high school. They weren't much, but hey, how many people can say the same about their high school experience?

This early venture fueled my passion for building and growing businesses.

‍

Wazi Group Limited:

A Brand & Tech Firm Over 15 Years Strong

‍

In 2011, during my second year at university, I founded Wazi Group Limited with two of my close friends from high school. We built a technology and branding firm serving clients in the tech, brand, and supplies industries. Over 13 years, we had the pleasure of working with more than 300 enterprise clients — including UNICEF, War Child, PepsiCo, and Mastercard — across five countries in the East African region and beyond.

‍

In 2024, after building Wazi Group into a self-sustaining operation, I made the deliberate decision to hand over day-to-day management to a trusted leadership team. It was one of the hardest and most rewarding decisions of my career. Knowing that something you built from scratch can stand on its own is a kind of success that doesn't always make the headlines — but it means everything.

‍

Other Ventures:

Beyond Wazi Group, I've co-founded and actively participated in the leadership of several other successful ventures:

‍

MIT OpenLearners Podcast (2022):

Since 2001, MIT OpenCourseWare has been creating new opportunities for millions of learners and educators, sharing Open Educational Resources (OER) from MIT and helping to lead a global revolution in free access to knowledge.

In 2022, I created and launched "Chalk Radio Presents: Open Learners" with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I co-host this podcast with co-creator Michael Jordan Pilgreen, showcasing stories of learners worldwide who benefit from MIT OpenCourseWare resources. The show has grown to over 5 million listeners. You can listen here.

‍

National Science Foundation (NSF)& AXAM — Offline AI for the Classroom (2023):

In 2024, I was selected as a Fellow of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovation Corps — known as NSF I-Corps — one of the United States government's most prestigious innovation programmes, administered through the National Science Foundation to identify and develop scientifically grounded technologies with real-world commercial and social impact. Being named an NSF I-Corps Fellow placed AXAM in the company of some of America's most promising deep-tech ventures, and validated its potential as a scalable, nationally significant innovation.

‍

AXAM is an offline AI-powered educational platform designed specifically for low-connectivity schools across. Built on a production-grade Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipeline, AXAM uses multilingual AI models to deliver curriculum-aligned learning content — entirely offline.

‍

KASA — Katz Students Association (2025):

Representing over 800 STEM graduate students.

In August 2025, I was Appointed President of Katz School of Science and Health African Student Association (KASA),leading with an executive team of 7 direct reports under me (VP, General Secretary, Student Liaison and 4 others) to serve 800+ graduate students across the schools STEM disciplines: ArtificialIntelligence, Biotechnology, Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Data Analytics, Digital Marketing, Mathematics, and Physics. Managing the executive team and setting strategic direction for the club, championed expanded budgets for oversight, drove inclusivity initiatives, created academic growth opportunities, and launched professional development programs like activating over 20 workshops, events and panels in the Fall semester to advance student activities, support and organizational revitalization

Leading KASA while pursuing my M.S. in Data Analytics and Visualisation, developing AXAM, and co-hosting a globally distributed podcast has been a masterclass in prioritisation. But honestly? I wouldn't have it any other way.

‍

Social Gamers Initiative (2019):

Leveraging the power of play!

Wazi Group partnered with Makerere University's School of Psychology to develop the Social Gamers Initiative. This program tackles adolescent mental health in schools through innovative approaches.

Your support can make a difference.

This initiative aligns with my passion for psychology. Consider contributing — your support could have a life-changing impact.

‍

Big Bear Investment Club (2017):

"Investment today is a source of income tomorrow."

Access to capital is a serious problem in developing nations, and Big Bear was launched to help address that problem.

Founded with my high school classmates, this investment group thrives to this day.

‍

Festa Iqela (2019):

Good times at the source of the Nile, in the heart of the pearl of Africa, my home.

Co-founder and marketing manager for this annual festival celebrating Ugandan independence on the Nile River in jinja Uganda

‍

Do Buy Dubai (2021):

Online marketplace. As co-founder, I help this shipping business seamlessly bring goods from Dubai.

‍

Laba Party(2026)

It’s a free Charades + Taboo browser-based party game s rooted in African cultures — life, music, places, slang, nostalgia, food, people, and more

‍‍Every culture has its own way of celebrating, connecting, and having fun — and Africa's diversity of cultures, languages, and traditions is one of its greatest gifts. So why should party games look the same everywhere?

Laba Party is built on a simple but powerful idea: create localised party games designed specifically for African cultures and countries.

Because fun, like culture, should never be one-size-fits-all.

‍