CURAD

What CURAD does

CURAD (The Consortium for Enhancing University Responsiveness to Agribusiness Development) is a Uganda-based non-profit agribusiness incubator established in 2012 as a public-private consortium by Makerere University, NUCAFE (National Union of Coffee Agribusinesses and Farm Enterprises), and NARO (National Agricultural Research Organisation), with initial catalytic funding from DANIDA under the FARA-UniBRAIN Programme. The organization supports farmers, farmer organizations, agro-entrepreneurs, students, graduates, startups, and SMEs in transforming raw ideas into competitive agribusiness enterprises through end-to-end incubation including training, mentorship, access to finance, market linkages, and value addition support.

CURAD's core offering is built around physical, commodity-specialized infrastructure rather than a software platform. It operates five incubation hubs across Uganda — the CURAD Agri-Park at Namanve for fresh and dry fruit/vegetable processing for export markets, the Coffee Entrepreneurship Bureau of Uganda (CEBU) at Makerere University's Kabanyolo campus, a Rural Agribusiness Hub at Kapeeka for juice and beverage production, an Oil Seed Value Chain Centre in Iganga, and a Meat & Dairy Incubation Centre in Jinja. These hubs provide subsidized access to production equipment that individual entrepreneurs cannot afford independently, alongside business development support covering financial literacy (QuickBooks training, unit cost calculation), intellectual property management (QMark acquisition, UNBS quality certification facilitation), and market access through expos and trade shows. Programs include the SAYE (Stimulating Agribusiness for Youth Employment) Project targeting 250,000 youth in the Busoga sub-region by 2029, the NSSF Hi-Innovator Program in partnership with Mastercard Foundation, and the AYuTe Africa Challenge Uganda competition.

CURAD is registered as a non-profit company limited by guarantee (Reg. No. 144130) and does not charge incubatees for services. Revenue is generated indirectly through program implementation contracts and donor funding from development partners such as Heifer International, NSSF Uganda, Mastercard Foundation, FSDU, ASIGMA, and others. Its go-to-market motion is community-led: entrepreneurs are recruited via radio, village-level registrations, agricultural shows, idea refinement bootcamps, and referral networks spanning district leaders and alumni. Track record to date includes over 1,200 entrepreneurs trained, 456+ students hosted through internship programs (430 undergraduate, 21 master's, 5 international from Nigeria, Denmark, the USA, and France), and USD 940,000 in seed funding unlocked for 47 agribusiness entrepreneurs through the Hi-Innovator Program.

Name

CURAD

Legal name

The Consortium for Enhancing University Responsiveness to Agribusiness Development (CURAD)

Website

https://curadincubator.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CURAD is a Uganda-based non-profit agribusiness incubator, founded in 2012 as a consortium of Makerere University, NUCAFE, and NARO. It operates five commodity-specialized incubation hubs providing subsidized production infrastructure, training, mentorship, and market linkages to youth entrepreneurs, farmers, students, and SMEs across Uganda.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agribusiness Incubation Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Support Activities for Animal Production (11521)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Regenerative Agriculture & Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) (EUABABAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cucurbit & Melon Farming (Cucumbers, Squash, Pumpkins, Watermelon, Cantaloupe) (AFAGADAF)

Keywords

• Agribusiness incubation
• Youth entrepreneurship
• Value chain development
• Smallholder farmer support
• Business development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Kampala

HQ country

Uganda

HQ region

Africa

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Incubation & Business Development Services: CURAD is registered as a non-profit company limited by guarantee (Reg. No. 144130) that supports profit-oriented agribusinesses. It provides subsidized incubation services funded by development partners and government programs rather than charging incubatees. Revenue is indirectly generated through program implementation contracts and donor funding.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CURAD is a non-profit agribusiness incubator established in 2012 that provides incubation services, technical and business development support, soft-landing facilities, and market linkages to youth entrepreneurs, smallholder farmers, university students/graduates, and SMEs across Uganda. It operates five specialized hubs covering coffee, cocoa, maize, horticulture, and dairy value addition, and runs named programs such as SAYE, NSSF Hi-Innovator, and AYuTe Africa Challenge Uganda. Revenue is generated primarily through donor and development-partner grants rather than incubation fees.

Product overview

CURAD (Consortium for Enhancing University Responsiveness to Agribusiness Development) is Uganda's leading agribusiness incubator that offers a unified suite of incubation and business development services rather than a traditional product platform. The organization provides end-to-end incubation support through specialized programs including the SAYE Project (Stimulating Agribusiness for Youth Employment), NSSF Hi-Innovator Program, and AYuTe Africa Challenge Uganda. Services include Business Development Support (training, mentoring, finance access, legal/IP, marketing), Soft-Landing and Enterprise Support (office space, equipment, investor connections), and Value Addition and Commercialization services. CURAD operates five specialized incubation centres across Uganda: CURAD Agri-Park (Namanve) for fruits and vegetables, Coffee Entrepreneurship Bureau of Uganda (CEBU) for coffee, Rural Agribusiness Hub (Kapeeka) for juice and beverages, Oil Seed Value Chain Centre (Iganga), and Meat & Dairy Centre (Jinja). The organization also runs a Student Internship Program providing experiential learning opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Agribusiness Incubation Services
• SAYE Project (Stimulating Agribusiness Youth Enterprises)
• NSSF Hi-Innovator Program
• AYuTe Africa Challenge Uganda
• Student Internship Program
• Enterprise Soft-Landing Support
• Specialized Multi-Commodity Incubation Hubs

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,224 learners trained in Business Development Services; 47 entrepreneurs unlocked USD 940,000 in funding; 31 businesses secured seed funding totalling USD 620,000
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• NSSF Uganda (National Social Security Fund)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023NSSF Hi-Innovator is a flagship entrepreneurship support initiative of NSSF Uganda. CURAD serves as one of the Entrepreneurship Support Organizations (ESOs) managing the innovation pipeline, providing training, mentorship, and technical support. Successful entrepreneurs receive UGX 75,000,000 in seed funding.
• Makerere UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Co-founding partner of CURAD alongside NUCAFE and NARO. Makerere University provides academic credibility, research capacity, and access to student talent. The Coffee Entrepreneurship Bureau of Uganda (CEBU) is housed within Makerere University Agricultural Institute at Kabanyolo.
• NUCAFE (National Union of Coffee Agribusinesses and Coffee Enterprise)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Co-founding partner of CURAD alongside Makerere University and NARO. NUCAFE represents coffee farmers and agribusinesses, contributing industry expertise and farmer network access to the incubator.
• NARO (National Agricultural Research Organisation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Co-founding partner providing agricultural research expertise and technology transfer capabilities to support CURAD's incubation programs in various agricultural value chains.
• Agripreneurship AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss-based non-profit dedicated to empowering young African entrepreneurs to grow successful agribusinesses. Collaboration strengthens support for young agripreneurs through enhanced mentorship, incubation, and business development guidance.
• Heifer International UgandaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead implementer of the SAYE (Stimulating Agribusiness for Youth Employment) Project. CURAD serves as an implementing partner in the consortium, providing incubation services to youth in the Busoga sub-region. SAYE targets 250,000 young people (70% female, 3% PWDs) by 2029.
• FSME (Financial Sector Deepening)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the SAYE Project consortium providing financial sector expertise to support enterprise formalization and access to finance for young entrepreneurs.
• FSDU (Financial Sector Deepening Uganda)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the SAYE Project consortium. In January 2025, partnered with CURAD to deliver financial literacy training to 50 incubatees from Iganga and Jinja districts, covering financial planning, budgeting, savings, investing, and record-keeping.
• ASIGMA GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the SAYE Project consortium implementing agribusiness support programs for youth in the Busoga sub-region.
• Outbox UgandaminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementation partner for the NSSF Hi-Innovator Program. Supports the delivery of the business foundational course and program coordination for entrepreneurs including CURAD incubatees.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SNV Netherlands Development Organisation: International development organization with extensive agricultural value-chain and youth employment programs across East Africa, including direct partnership with CURAD in the SAYE Project consortium. Comparable as a larger incumbent with similar donor-funded value-chain development model.
• Heifer International: Global non-profit focused on ending hunger and poverty through sustainable agriculture, with deep East Africa operations including direct partnership with CURAD on the SAYE Project. Comparable as a value-chain-based agricultural enterprise development organization with significantly larger global footprint.
• TechnoServe: Global non-profit operating across 30+ countries to help entrepreneurial men and women in developing countries lift themselves out of poverty, with major Africa-focused agribusiness and value-chain programs. Comparable as a much larger incumbent working on enterprise development in African agriculture.
• Mercy Corps AgriFin: Global humanitarian and development organization with significant agriculture, youth, and market systems programs across Africa. Comparable as a donor-funded entity supporting agricultural entrepreneurship and SME development in similar geographies.
• infoDev / World Bank Climate-Smart Agriculture programs: World Bank-supported platform that funds and operates technology and agribusiness innovation hubs across emerging markets, including Africa. Comparable as a larger incumbent ecosystem builder that competes for the same donor budgets and entrepreneur pipeline.

Direct peers

• Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF): Pan-African philanthropy providing seed capital, mentorship, and training to African entrepreneurs across sectors including agriculture. Directly comparable as an African entrepreneurship support organization that combines incubation with seed funding at scale.
• GrowthAfrica: Pan-African accelerator running cohort-based programs for growth-stage SMEs across multiple sectors including agribusiness. Direct peer in business model (structured acceleration, mentorship, investor linkages) and target segment (African SMEs and entrepreneurs).
• 2SCALE: Dutch-funded African agribusiness incubation program that supports inclusive agribusiness clusters across multiple value chains in sub-Saharan Africa. Closest direct analog to CURAD in combining value-chain specialization, smallholder integration, and incubator-style support for African agripreneurs.
• Anzisha Prize: African Leadership Network program supporting very young African entrepreneurs (under 22) across all sectors with incubation, mentorship, and prize funding. Comparable as a youth-focused African entrepreneurship incubation platform, though broader than agriculture-only.

Others

• Acumen: Global impact investor with major East Africa operations backing entrepreneurs in agriculture and adjacent sectors. Comparable as an adjacent player that supports similar entrepreneur segments and could partner with or compete against CURAD-incubated businesses for follow-on capital.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/curad

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CURAD