Elizabeth N. Nkukuu, CFA, Chief Investment Officer and Head of Cytonn Real Estate was a guest panelist at the African Summit on Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ASENTI) at the United States International University (USIU). ASENTI is a forum that brings together SMEs, startups and different stakeholders from Africa for interaction and training on entrepreneurship and innovation. The theme of the discussion was “changing lives through innovative mindset.”
USIU auditorium that hosted the forum
Other guests in the panel joining Elizabeth included; Cynthia Mwangi, Head of Radio Hot 96, Esther Wanjiru, Executive Director, We Create Kenya and Chris Mureithi, author and motivational speaker.
Elizabeth spoke about Cytonn’s entrepreneurial journey and how Cytonn is achieving growth and becoming Africa’s leading investment manager through providing innovative investment solutions for our clients in real estate. She noted “Cytonn Investments has grown to be a leading brand in real estate investments, with over Kshs. 74 billion in projects under mandate. Through our investments, we have managed to create employment for over 170 people directly, and over 1,000 people indirectly through our real estate development projects.”
Elizabeth(left) responding to a question from
the audience
On cultivating an innovative mindset among entrepreneurs, Elizabeth gave several practical examples on instances where companies with innovative mindset have beaten competition, increased market share and attained profitability within a short time, namely Uber, Jumia, Safaricom and Cytonn. “The key is working smart, being consistent and surrounding yourself with people who believe in your idea.”
Cytonn desk at ASENTI during the conference
Elizabeth also pointed out several Cytonn initiatives geared towards youth empowerment such as Cytonn’s E-hub, a 12-week training and mentorship programme for young and upcoming entrepreneurs that seeks to enhance knowledge and capabilities on how to run and grow successful enterprises. And Cytonn’s CYLP, an intensive and competitive 12-week training programme that exposes fresh entry-level talent to the office work environment and culture. Both programmes are run under the Cytonn Foundation.
