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When I started 2026, I made a promise to myself. No more building. Well, at least not in the way I had done in 2025. For those who have followed this journey, you know that 2025 was a ridiculous year of experimentation. I challenged myself to build 12 products in 12 months. Some were good. Some were bad. Some solved real problems, and some were simply proof that I could turn an idea into…

Africa’s startup ecosystem has matured significantly in the last decade. What used to be a handful of innovation hubs has evolved into a growing network of venture studios, accelerators, and early-stage funds backing ambitious founders across the continent. For founders building in Africa, startup accelerators are often the fastest path to mentorship, capital, networks, and credibility. They…

At the beginning of 2025, I set myself an unusual challenge. Build 12 products in 12 months. Not pitch decks.Not ideas.Actual working products. Some would fail.Some would survive.A few, if I was lucky, would become real businesses. The point of the challenge was simple: execution over theory. Too many founders get stuck in planning mode — researching markets, polishing strategy documents,…

Last year I did something that, on paper, looked impressive. I built 12 products in 12 months. Not prototypes.Not Figma concepts.Actual working products. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: Building products is the easy part. Anyone with enough stubbornness and caffeine can build things. The hard part — the part that separates hobbyists from builders — is getting people to pay. So this…

At the beginning of this year, I made a public commitment. Not a vague resolution. Not a motivational tweet. A measurable, uncomfortable commitment. In 2026, I would commercialize one product every single month. Not build them from scratch. Not brainstorm endlessly. Not sit in the safety of prototypes. Commercialize. That means a product has to be real enough that someone can pay for it. By…

In January 2026, as the Nairobi sun rose on a new year, I sat with my coffee (still black, still sugar-free) and felt something shift. Not fireworks. Not a viral moment. Just quiet, earned clarity. 2025 was the year I forced myself to build. Really build. I set a public, slightly insane goal: ship 12 products in 12 months. One every single month. No excuses, no endless planning, no waiting for…

For a long time, I couldn’t put my finger on why building startups always felt chaotic to me. Not the exciting kind of chaos you see in founder stories — the romantic, late-night, hoodie-wearing chaos that supposedly precedes greatness. I mean the exhausting kind. The kind where everyone is busy, yet progress feels fragile. Where roles blur, decisions loop endlessly, and clarity feels like a…

In January 2026, I kicked off the year by finally diving into Startup Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle by Dan Senor and Saul Singer. Beyond serving as a compelling showcase for Israel as an innovation powerhouse, the book delivers timeless, actionable lessons that any startup founder — especially in emerging markets — can apply directly to their own journey. The authors guide you…

Most startup advice is scattered, abstract, or written by people who have never had to survive the messy middle. Over the years, I’ve written dozens of practical startup articles — not as theory, but as lived experience. This post organizes them into a step-by-step playbook you can follow from idea to scale. Think of this as a book. Each section builds on the previous one. Don’t rush. Start…

As we wind up 2025, I can say this without exaggeration:this year changed how I build, how I think, and how I measure progress. Not in the loud, celebratory way LinkedIn loves.Not in the “look at my growth chart” way.But in the quiet, uncomfortable, deeply instructive way. 2025 was packed with lessons.Hard ones. Practical ones. Humbling ones. And unlike previous years, I didn’t try to sweeten…

As we step into 2026, artificial intelligence is evolving from experimental tools into foundational infrastructure that reshapes industries, workflows, and even the physical world. 2025 laid the groundwork with rapid advancements in agents and foundational models, but 2026 will be the year of integration, regulation, and real-world impact. Here are eight key trends poised to define the AI…

November has always had a strange energy to it. It’s the month that feels like both an ending and a beginning. The year is almost over, but it’s also the month where the mind finally slows down enough to see the year clearly. And this November, something inside me shifted, not loudly, but definitely. I built my portfolio website. It sounds simple, maybe even ordinary in the grand scheme of what…

Each month, one new tool.That’s the promise I made to myself at the start of the year — and it still stands. No matter how heavy life gets, no matter how much chaos the entrepreneurial path throws my way, I decided that every 30 days, something new must go out into the world. Not perfect. Not fully polished. Just real — something that adds value, teaches me something, or brings me closer to my…

At the beginning of this year, I made a personal vow — one product every month.Not for vanity. Not for clout.It was about discipline — the kind of rhythm that forces creativity to meet accountability. And for seven straight months, I showed up.From January through July, I launched a new product or project every 30 days.Some small. Some half-broken. Some gaining momentum quietly.But all of them…

There’s a sentence most people fear to say. Not because it’s offensive, or hard to pronounce, but because it feels like betrayal. The word is No. I didn’t know how to say it. For a long time, I was that guy who moved with the vibe. “Yes” rolled off my tongue quicker than I could think. A Friday night out? Yes. An extra task at work, even when my plate was already overflowing? Yes. Friends…

First, a big thank you to everyone who’s been reading these monthly updates. If you’re new here and wondering what this is all about, check out the January recap to get the full story:👉 https://elidayjuma.com/january-2025-recap-progress-lessons-and-whats-next As promised:1 month, 1 product. All the way to December. 🔌 July Product: A WordPress Plugin for Paystack Payments This one happened by…

Work is changing fast. You don’t need a glass office and a fancy title to be productive anymore. You need good Wi-Fi, power that won’t cut off mid-call, and a space that makes you want to show up and build. Whether you’re a founder bootstrapping your dream, a remote worker trying to escape your noisy house, or a creative tired of working from cafes — coworking spaces are giving more Kenyans the…