ESO Support
Strengthening Uganda's Enterprise Support Organisation ecosystem — so that ESOs can deliver better support to the entrepreneurs, startups, and SMEs who depend on them.
Why ESOs Matter
Enterprise Support Organisations — incubators, accelerators, business development service providers, cooperatives, and sector associations — are the connective tissue of Uganda's entrepreneurship ecosystem. They sit between entrepreneurs and the capital, markets, and skills they need.
But many ESOs in Uganda operate with limited capacity, inconsistent methodologies, and fragmented funding. UMSDN's ESO Support Programme addresses this directly — building the organisational and programmatic capacity of ESOs so they can serve entrepreneurs more effectively.
What We Provide
Strategic planning, governance, HR systems, and financial management support to build sustainable ESO institutions.
Co-designing incubation, acceleration, and BDS programmes based on evidence of what works in Uganda's context.
Supporting ESOs to adopt CRM systems, digital training platforms, and data management tools to improve service delivery.
Building MEL systems and impact measurement frameworks so ESOs can demonstrate results to funders and stakeholders.
Connecting ESOs to each other, to funders, to corporate partners, and to UMSDN's full programme ecosystem.
Supporting ESOs to develop grant proposals, pitch to impact investors, and diversify their funding base.
We developed and publish an open-source ESO Due Diligence Framework and Scorecard — a practical toolkit for evaluating the quality and capacity of enterprise support organisations. Used by funders and development partners across East Africa.
Download the Toolkit →To qualify for ESO support, organisations should:
- ✓ Registered NGO, company, or cooperative
- ✓ Actively supporting SMEs or entrepreneurs
- ✓ At least 1 year of operations
- ✓ Based in or serving Uganda
- ✓ Committed to MEL and transparency