About JASIRI

JASIRI, supported by the Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropy (Gray Philanthropy), believes that high-impact entrepreneurial success requires patient, holistic, and context specific support. JASIRI systematically identifies and removes potential stumbling blocks on the entrepreneurial journey and believes that entrepreneurial teams are at the heart of new venture creation. Our program will take participants from idea generation, validation, prototyping to venture creation with a focus on Market-Creating Innovations.

Vision

An empowered, prosperous, productively engaged African citizenry thriving in ethical societies with dignity and hope.

Mission

We attack poverty by investing in, nurturing and empowering responsible entrepreneurs and leaders who benefit society by helping to accelerate meaningful employment creation while embodying the values and behaviours of ethical leadership.

Gray Philanthropy believes that businesses can and should be a force for the common good, This was the dream of the late Mr. Gray who founded an investment management firm, Allan Gray Ltd, in 1973. Allan Gray Ltd takes a client-centric, long-term investment approach which has seen the company grow into one of the largest of its kind on the continent. Gray Philanthropy is convinced that the biggest challenge facing our continent is youth unemployment, and that focused support of entrepreneurship is the greatest driver for job creation and meaningful employment. The Philanthropy intends to pursue a long-term strategy of developing exceptional and responsible entrepreneurs in East Africa, starting with JASIRI. Existing philanthropic activities initiated by the Gray family support a community of over 1000 potential and actual entrepreneurs who between them have started businesses collectively worth an estimated 150M USD.

There are numerous initiatives across the ecosystem, some of which include:

Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropy

Allan Gray Orbis Foundation

Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Endowment

Allan Gray Makers

Corona Action Rwanda

E-Squared Trust

Wavumbuzi Entrepreneurship Challenge