Ready to co-found your regenerative food system business?

Eager to change the food system?

Rootical start-up studio enables purpose-driven entrepreneurs in Uganda to build and own their regenerative agri-food companies.

The world needs a paradigm shift. From a linear and wasteful production machine to a complex, living, and adaptive systems approach. Like in nature, we are part of that system, not separated from it.

To operate within that living world, we need distributed ownership and purposeful entrepreneurship. Regenerative agriculture is the application of that same worldview on agriculture and inclusive rural development.

Together we build commercially viable and purpose-driven enterprises to accelerate the transition to a fair, inclusive and regenerative food system.

“ We aim to regenerate not only agriculture but also entrepreneurship and finance”

Why you should apply ?

Why you should apply ?

  • Find your edge in changing the food system.

  • You are ready to venture into building a business of your own.

  • Join a safe space & strong network to co-found a regenerative agri-food business

  • Partner with experts and mission-driven people

The Rootical Founder

Experience

Get ready to embark on this systemic (ad)venture building journey!

  • 7 Days | 50 Change-makers.

    In this crash course on food system leadership, 50 participants will be trained on regenerative agriculture and agroecology, food systems thinking and practice, purpose-driven entrepreneurship and human-centred design.

    Together we analyse and deepen our understanding of the Ugandan food system to identify the key challenges & design opportunities that you want to solve by building a business.

  • 3 Months | 24 entrepreneurs | 3+ days/week

    In this second part of our founder-in-residence programme, you will come up with, test, develop and iterate on solutions that address the prioritised root challenges.

    In six two-weekly human-centred design sprints you will be trained and supported to build solutions that matter.

  • 3 Months | 18 entrepreneurs | 3+ days/week

    In this third and final part of our entrepreneur-in-residence programme, you will continue working on your business model, forge teams and get ready to talk to potential investors and launch autonomous operations.

  • 12-18 months | 6 businesses

    At the end of stage 3, six teams will be invited to enter the Studio Stage and become co-founders of the most promising regenerative business models.

    We learn by selling, learn by doing, piloting and testing your business model all the way to incorporation and proof-of-concept. Rootical provides a set-up investment of 20-40 million UGX to give these teams runway for launching autonomous operations, working towards product-market fit and onboarding their first external investors.

    Root!cal provides dedicated part-time venture builder support (one day per week per start-up) and becomes a co-founder of the businesses that enter the studio.

  • About 2 years (or less) after the start the studio ventures should be ready to spin out of the studio.

    As a co-founder, Rootical will continue to support the teams to organise capital, access networks of impact aligned investors, connect to expertise, build a team and manage overhead services. We will also offer support to address shared needs, benefit from economies of scale, and establish strong synergies across our studio ventures.

Are you a purpose driven entrepreneur passionate about regenerative agriculture and food?

Access training and networks of business development experts.

Meet your co-founder(s)

Critical knowledge and insights on regenerative food systems

Crash course on food systems practice and leadership

Partner with food systems transformation minded founders and investors.

Work with highly purpose-driven and dynamic people

Connect to allied business development opportunities to continue growing your business

We provide you with the access to expertise, funding, tools and a systemic building process to own your agri-food business.

The Rootical Experience