Interdisciplinary Network for Technology and Entrepreneurship Research in Africa

What Interdisciplinary Network for Technology and Entrepreneurship Research in Africa does

INTERA (Interdisciplinary Network for Technology and Entrepreneurship Research in Africa) is a non-profit academic research network that connects predoctoral, doctoral, postdoctoral, and faculty researchers studying technology and entrepreneurship in African societies. The network operates a peer-to-peer model centered on a Virtual Lab, launched in August 2023, in which emerging and experienced scholars convene monthly for structured presentations, manuscript review, and feedback with expert discussants. Members are enrolled through annual open calls, with particular emphasis on prospective doctoral students and active doctoral and postdoctoral researchers drawn from disciplines including business, management, anthropology, entrepreneurship, and sociology.

The network's core offerings are its Fellows Program, the Virtual Lab Model sessions, and a Publications Repository cataloguing member outputs in top-tier journals such as Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Business Venturing, and Organization Science. Activities are delivered virtually via the intera.network website and video conferencing, with no physical distribution channels. INTERA is not a software vendor; it does not maintain an app, API, or commercial product surface, and its technology footprint is limited to standard website and social media tooling (Squarespace-hosted site, LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/interafrica).

INTERA does not operate a commercial revenue model. There are no disclosed membership fees, pricing tiers, or funding rounds in the source data, and the organization functions as a volunteer-run academic collective rather than a for-profit enterprise. The network engages in no disclosed M&A, partnerships, or regulatory activity. Its core go-to-market is organic: annual enrollment calls promoted through academic channels, conferences, publications, and LinkedIn. With approximately 10 employees and an initial cohort of 35+ members at launch, the network's scale is small and member-driven, reliant on key organizers including Amanda Debuo Der and Tim Weiss of Imperial College London.

Name

Interdisciplinary Network for Technology and Entrepreneurship Research in Africa

Legal name

Interdisiplinary Network for Technology and Entrepreneurship Research in Africa

Website

https://intera.network

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

INTERA is a non-profit academic research network that supports predoctoral, doctoral, postdoctoral, and faculty researchers studying technology and entrepreneurship in African societies through a peer-to-peer virtual lab, annual membership enrollment, and a publications repository.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Collaboration & Joint Labs (International Partnerships) (EDAIABAC)

Keywords

• Academic research network
• Doctoral mentorship programs
• Manuscript review services
• Africa entrepreneurship research
• Virtual research lab

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

INTERA operates a peer-to-peer academic research network that enrolls members annually into a virtual lab focused on technology and entrepreneurship research in African societies. It provides academic guidance, friendly manuscript reviews, connections to international universities, and access to research and events for prospective doctoral students, doctoral and postdoctoral students, and faculty researchers.

Product overview

INTERA is a peer-to-peer research network that connects scholars and practitioners focused on technology and entrepreneurship in African societies. The organization operates a virtual lab model that facilitates research collaboration among predoctoral, doctoral, postdoctoral, and faculty members. The network provides academic guidance, manuscript review support, connections to international universities, and access to research and events. The primary offering is the network membership and virtual lab sessions, not a software product in the traditional SaaS sense.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• INTERA Virtual Lab Model A virtual collaborative environment that brings together predoctoral, doctoral, postdoctoral, and faculty members for monthly meetings featuring paper presentations, discussants, and peer-to-peer learning on Africa-related technology and entrepreneurship research.
• Fellows Program A membership program connecting experienced and emerging fellows (doctoral candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty) working on technology and entrepreneurship topics in African contexts, providing academic guidance, manuscript review, and access to international research networks.
• Publications Repository A curated collection of selected academic publications by network members covering topics such as digital entrepreneurship, innovation hubs, fintech, informal economies, and technology adoption across African societies.

Quantifiable outcome

• The network has supported researchers who have published extensively in top-tier journals including Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Business Venturing, Organization Science, and others
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• J-PAL Africa: African arm of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, running randomized evaluations with African researchers and policy partners; comparable as a research network that cultivates and supports African-based doctoral and post-doctoral talent.
• AfOx (Africa Oxford Initiative): University of Oxford's Africa-facing research initiative that connects Oxford-based scholars and students with African researchers, runs mentorship, and convenes Africa-focused research events — directly comparable in mission and target audience to INTERA's network.
• Africa Research Institute: Independent London-based think tank producing Africa-focused research and analysis across multiple disciplines, with an explicit aim of connecting emerging African scholars to broader research communities — closely aligned with INTERA's research-community thesis.
• African Economic Research Consortium: Nairobi-based consortium that builds research capacity and funds collaborative economic research across African universities; directly comparable as a research-development and PhD-supports network for African-context scholarship.
• Science for Africa Foundation: Nairobi-headquartered foundation that funds African-led research and researcher networks; comparable in its combination of Africa research agenda-setting, network convening, and fellow-support activities.
• African Academy of Sciences: Pan-African research-support organization headquartered in Nairobi that funds, trains, and networks African scientists across disciplines through fellowships and grants — shares INTERA's talent-development and peer-network model for African researchers.

Regional players

• Brookings Africa Growth Initiative: Brookings Institution's Africa-focused research program that convenes scholars and produces policy-oriented publications on African economies; comparable in subject matter (African economic transformation) but backed by a much larger US-based institutional platform.

Broad incumbents

• International Growth Centre: UK- and IDA-funded research-policy network with a large Africa practice; overlaps with INTERA on doctoral training and evidence-for-policy, but operates at significantly greater scale and with formal donor backing.
• Academy of Management: Premier global professional association for management and organization researchers, publisher of the Academy of Management Journal and other top-tier journals where INTERA members publish; a broader institutional venue that subsumes INTERA's topical niche.
• Centre for Effective Global Action (CEGA): UC Berkeley-based research network that funds and convenes researchers working on development economics in Africa and globally; shares the model of training, convening, and supporting doctoral researchers doing applied work in African contexts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/interafrica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Interdisciplinary Network for Technology and Entrepreneurship Research in Africa