What we do
Programmes that start with a real problem.
Everything Fɛlei runs begins with people who have a problem worth solving, and ends with a solution that can be piloted, funded and scaled.
Day one of the Kroo Bay Community Solvathon: listening.
Community Solvathons
Residents set the problem. Innovators build with them, not for them.
A Solvathon runs over two days. Day one is problem definition: the community explains what is broken and why. Day two is co-design: innovators and technical experts work with residents until a number of solutions have taken shape, each one ready to be piloted.
The Bo edition in April 2026 invited anyone with a problem they wanted to turn into a business. The Kroo Bay edition in August focused on waste, with support from the Sierra Leone Digital Transformation Project. The Waste Management & HealthTech Spotlight in September put those solutions in front of the public, development partners, government and the private sector.
Bo · April 2026
Kroo Bay · August 2026
Spotlight · September 2026
Founder community
TIE2 Meetups take the conversation to the districts.
Technology, innovation and entrepreneurship meetups where founders who have done the work answer the questions new founders actually have. What is a minimum viable product, and what does good look like? How do you price? When do you raise?
The Makeni edition in June 2026 featured Emily Fanday, founder of a logistics and operations business and a fintech peer-to-peer platform. More editions follow across the country.
Follow for the next meetup →
Innovators present to the community.
Getting startups to investment
From idea to investable.
Four routes that connect founders to capital and markets.
Accelerator
SMIRA
The Sierra Leone Market & Investment Readiness Accelerator prepares over 200 startups for market entry and investment through training, mentorship and access to a network of investors.
Competition
Startup World Cup semi-finals
With Nomadic Minds and Pegasus Tech Ventures, Fɛlei brought the regional semi-finals of the world’s largest pitch competition to Sierra Leone, and investors with over $10 billion under management with it.
Fund
Sierra Leone Innovation Investment Fund
A national blended-finance platform targeting $150 million over five years to de-risk private investment and scale innovative enterprises. Its governance framework is being designed now.
Pipeline
Investment readiness support
Business-model refinement, investor materials and access-to-finance pathways for selected startups and SMEs, backed by the African Development Bank’s DIGEST project.
The place
And a city to grow them in.
10,000
BPO seats
A business process outsourcing hub to develop the sector and create jobs for young people at scale.
130
acres in Bo District
Innovation hubs, labs, coworking, education, health and homes on the Special Economic Zone for Technology.
4
phases
From core infrastructure and essential services through to full operating capability and long-term growth.
Take part
Have a problem worth solving?
Apply for the next Solvathon or Spotlight, join a meetup, or ask about SMIRA.