After 7 weeks of pure drama, BLAZE BYOB TV show comes down to the wire on Sunday evening where the last boss standing will be crowned the winner bagging a grand prize of KES 5 million that includes KES 3 million in start-up capital.
KES 2 million will be in form of mentorship, financial advice and business support from Safaricom and various partners.
What started as a competition with 12 contestants from Nairobi, Rift Valley, Central, Western and Coast has whittled down to 3 of the best; Joseph Mugweru from Eldoret, Valentine Nekesa from Kakamega and David Kimani from Malindi.
The aspiring entrepreneurs are all aged below 26 years, and were selected following a rigorous auditions process carried out during the BLAZE BYOB mentorships held between June and October 2016. For the last 8 weeks that the TV series has been on air, the contestants have been evaluated on their ability to perform outstandingly well across a series of tasks that helped assess their business skills, communication skill and if they are team players.
This Monday 20th March, saw the semi-final show take place. The contestants were learning the art of customer retention with Eneza as their brand partner. The contestants had the task of coming up with customer retention strategies for our SMS learning product Shupavu291.
Based on a reality TV –show concept designed to be relatable to a Kenyan audience, the show is in line with BLAZE’s promise to empower the youth and teach them how they can be their own bosses, by encouraging them to earn from their passions and talents and igniting a spark in them to achieve their own versions of success.
The contestants were guided by the very able judges; King Kaka, Caroline Mutoko and entrepreneur Trushar Khetia.
Here are the profiles of the last 3 standing;
David Kimani
David, 21, is one of three children brought up by a single mum in Nyandarua County.
He is currently studying Computer Science at Pwani University, and is an aspiring social entrepreneur whose desire is to bring change to society. He has a passion for in positive transformation, which he hopes to bring about by elevating education standards in his community.
An entrepreneur who is already chasing his dreams through his Second Chance Adult Learning Center in Kilifi County, David’s mission is to contribute towards improving literacy and providing skills training to those in the informal sector in order to drive economic growth. The learning centre offers KCSE, KCPE, Literacy & HIV/AIDS and Drugs Awareness, and has been in operation for three months. If he wins, David plans to use the money to fund his business.
Safe Joe
Born in Dagorreti Corner 25-year-old Joe was brought up by a single mum who passed away when he was in high school. He has lived in Githurai 45, Eldoret (Kaptagat, Langas), and after completion of high school settled in Eldoret where he currently works as a self-taught music producer and a sound engineer offering mastering, editing, mixing and recording services.
He is addicted to all things music – seeing talent grow and creating great work – and if he wins the KES 5 million, he plans to buy equipment for his company, focus on marketing and artists, and developing an app that provide people in the diaspora with access to local music.
Valentine Nekesa
19-year-old Valentine grew up in Kakamega. Her mom passed away, forcing her to move in with an aunt and her family of 13. She is currently a student at Mount Kenya University, and loves to figure out what she can make out of available materials just for fun; she is a part-time designer and model.
With the money, Valentine plans to buy sewing machines, rent a shop and re-model it to suit her work needs, buy quality fabrics, and hire employees who will be particularly talented and share the same dream as hers.
Creating employment is very important to her, as it has the ability to attract more global investment in the Kenyan fashion industry.
Tune in to KTN this Sunday 26th March for the season finale to see who the last boss standing will be.
Here is episode 7 for those who missed it.