# Orbit Innovation Hub

> Orbit Innovation Hub is the social enterprise wing of Orbit Health, founded in 2020 in Addis Ababa. It supports Ethiopian startups and MSMEs through incubation, business training, mentorship, community events and market linkages, and participates in the Mastercard Foundation-backed SEED consortium led by the Entrepreneurship Development Institute.

- **Founded:** 2020
- **Headquarters:** Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- **Founders:** Pazion Cherinet (Founder and CEO (identified in the 2023 ecosystem mapping report))
- **Products:** Incubation and acceleration, Mentorship and coaching, Entrepreneurship consulting, Startup Thursday, SEED startup incubation
- **Notable:** 15 startups supported through the pilot programme completed in February 2022., The pilot completion announcement reports 89 jobs created, roughly 40% held by young women., The pilot hosted seven Startup Thursday events reaching over 5,000 young people and aspiring entrepreneurs, according to the completion announcement.

## Products & services

- **Incubation and acceleration** — Structured business creation and growth curriculum, from identifying a problem through market validation and go-to-market planning.
- **Mentorship and coaching** — Regular management coaching and industry-matched mentors for business and product/service development.
- **Entrepreneurship consulting** — Consulting for private-sector organizations, NGOs and government institutions on entrepreneurship, innovation and technology.
- **Startup Thursday** — Monthly community event featuring fireside conversations, elevator pitches and networking.
- **SEED startup incubation** — Orbit’s stated contribution to the five-year SEED programme is incubation of 1,000 innovative startups across Ethiopia; this is a target.
- **Digital Market Linkage Labs** — Regional enterprise digital-marketing and market-linkage support; the Orbit ecosystem’s Q2 2026 recap reports coverage in 12 cities.
- **Insights Unplugged** — Video conversations on entrepreneurship, branding and leadership.

## Achievements

- 15 startups supported through the pilot programme completed in February 2022.
- The pilot completion announcement reports 89 jobs created, roughly 40% held by young women.
- The pilot hosted seven Startup Thursday events reaching over 5,000 young people and aspiring entrepreneurs, according to the completion announcement.
- Orbit’s website reports more than 500 jobs through supported startups and MSMEs; the claim is undated and self-reported.
- Q2 2026 ecosystem recap reports 177 startups admitted to Cohort 7 across five new cities.

## Latest updates

- **2025-09** — Shega reported the graduation of 28 startups from Shaggar City under SEED; a $50,000 grant award was planned, rather than confirmed disbursed.
- **2026-01** — Orbit announced that Cohort 7 selection results would be released before January 26, 2026.
- **2026-06** — Q2 2026 recap: 177 startups admitted from 720+ applicants in Adama, Bale Robe, Lalibela, Wolayta Sodo and Shire; DML Labs reported in 12 cities. Date denotes the quarter end, not a verified publication day.

## Links

- Website: https://orbitinnovationhub.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orbitinnovationhub
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/Oinnovationhub
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4gdaXj7_St9RT8o5DEuFww
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orbitinnovationhub/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oinnovationhub

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/orbit-innovation-hub
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-08