Meet the Rootical team!
As a business builder, Rootical brings together talent, ideas and resources to build regenerative, food system shaking companies. In other words, we are a startup studio: in the business of creating businesses… and bringing them to scale. We do so powered by our team! Are you ready to meet them?
The Rootical Team, left to right: Hannes, Elivis, Faridah, Isaac.
Faridah, Talent Manager
Faridah Nalunkuuma is a founder in the first place, focused on making a positive impact in our food industry by supporting smallholder farmers:
“Over the past three years, I have dedicated my efforts to establishing a business centered around producing healthy snacks, Kasana Foods. Coming from a farming background myself, I have firsthand experience with the various challenges that Ugandan farmers face on a daily basis. My personal drive to venture into agribusiness comes from my deep-rooted passion for working alongside smallholder farmers.”
As Rootical’s Talent Manager, Faridah has one mission: to support the best people with the best people. She will make Rootical co-founders bigger than they are by swarming them with the best support team – mentors, technical experts, professional service providers, etc. She is also in charge of leading the talent acquisition process, recruitment and selection, co-founder matching and teaming of our startups.
“I am mostly looking forward to building the collaborations and mentorships that will enable Rootical Founders to bring their ideas to fruition and make a positive difference in our food system.”
Faridah is convinced that improving the future of our food system will involve governments, corporations, entrepreneurs, and individuals. “Rootical’s focus on building new businesses – that are commercially viable, scalable and impactful – and empowering entrepreneurs can contribute to creating a fair and regenerative food system that ensures access to good and healthy food for all. And I want to be a part of creating that impact”.
Isaac, Venture Builder
Isaac Muhofa is Rootical's Venture Builder. He is the go-to partner for our Rootical Founders. Isaac will support them in the design, creation, and growth of their regenerative agri-food businesses:
“Centered around their purpose and value proposition, I will facilitate the implementation of Rootical’s systemic venture building process – from problem validation all the way to launch and attaining product-market fit”.
Isaac is the definition of a purpose-led entrepreneur: “I am passionate about smallholder farmers and the development of scalable regenerative agri-food businesses to provide affordable products to mainstream consumers in our country”. In the Rootical co-founding stage, he will work alongside the Founders to build businesses that will transform the food system and accelerate the transition of smallholder farmers towards agroecology.
“I am really looking forward to shopping for groceries in a few years time and buying products from 5 regenerative brands that have been founded by the Rootical entrepreneurs.”
Isaac brings over 7 years of experience in building impactful businesses, including 2 years as co-founder & CEO of Wage Spices Ltd., now a recognized agroecological spices brand in Uganda that sources from over 3000 smallholder women farmers. Before that, Isaac founded Wage Farm and served as its CEO for 4 years. Wage farm has demonstrated various permaculture, regenerative and agroecology practices in growing food & spices. He was also the first farm manager for Ark Farm and later inspired the establishment of its sister business, Ark Organics, an organic retailer located in Kololo, Kampala.
Elvis, Studio Officer
“My passion for creating solutions in Agriculture started while I was growing up in Eastern Uganda. I witnessed the challenges like drought, pests, etc. that my family and other farmers in the region faced and I was more than determined to find answers. This inspired me to pursue a career in forestry”.
“During my time at Makerere University, I developed an appreciation for business and the power of entrepreneurship to address some of the biggest societal challenges – climate change, income inequality and hunger and malnutrition”.
As our Startup Studio Officer, Elivis is Rootical’s jack of all trades. He manages everything from logistics and administration all the way to streamlining our execution and delivery. Elivis is always eager to roll up his sleeves and make the Rootical journey and Founder experience extraordinary for everyone who joins.
“I am really excited about the first cohort of co-founders and I can’t wait to see the ideas that will come from the different brilliant minds and see them bloom into impactful businesses that are also profitable”.
“I look forward to seeing, 10 years from now, the new breed of businesses that we will have built from scratch and the shape of the food system and the regenerative agri-food movement in Uganda and other African countries”
Before joining Rootical, Elivis worked with the Global Landscapes Forum, volunteered with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and was part of the Youth in Landscapes Initiative steering committee. He also served as Entrepreneurship Minister at the Mastercard Foundation Alumni at Brac Uganda.
We want to shake up the food system, and have fun while at it!
