After Norrsken House Kigali’s success, what mega project will Pascal Murasira build next?

Welcome to the startup heart of Kigali, where an iconic entrepreneurship hub, Norrsken House Kigali, rose from the abandoned grounds of an old school. Much of this physical manifestation can be traced to Pascal Murasira’s vision and drive for unlocking Africa’s mostly untapped entrepreneurial potential.

As the founding Managing Director of Norrsken East Africa and a leading voice on Rwanda’s tech ecosystem, he spent the last three years architecting the transformation of Ecole Belge, the former Belgian old school, into a bustling 1,000-member hub supporting some of the continent’s top startups, investors and accelerators building the future of the tech ecosystem under one roof.

Over these years, Pascal and his team defied the odds of a global pandemic to construct Africa’s largest entrepreneurship hub. Norrsken House Kigali, also a solar-powered, green-certified hub, has so far hosted leaders like the IMF Managing Director and the Zambian president while drawing over a thousand members. This culminated in the landmark and inaugural Norrsken Africa Week  2023 which doubles as the presidential commissioning of its new building and aimed to celebrate local entrepreneurial talent and connecting them to investors to make innovation meet capital.

For Pascal, the Norrsken House Kigali represents a grand vision realized — his belief in the power of physical spaces and communities to create a grand platform for collaboration, mentorship, and deal flow by bringing key stakeholders like founders, investors, and policymakers together.

Also read: ICT powers Rwanda GDP with 35% all-time high growth in 2023

All eyes on his next ambitious project

Suppose his relentless drive to get Norrsken House Kigali off the ground is any indication, Pascal has no plans to rest on his laurels, even as he passed the baton to the new Norrsken East Africa MD, Elie Habimana, in early 2024. As a self-described “builder who likes to start new things,” he is already deep in the trenches of his next big entrepreneurship ecosystem project.

In his final weeks at Norrsken, Pascal began dropping hints about his future plans online. One of which is an intention to establish a new fund to “expand the ‘Norrsken concept’ into other geographies and economic sectors” by investing in building a network of entrepreneurship hubs across Africa and the Middle East featuring co-working spaces, accelerator programs, and more

While full details are still under wraps, media reports suggest Pascal is mobilizing an ambitious $100 million fund to be domiciled in Kigali. He has also put out an open call for partners with expertise in cross-border fund operations and experience navigating emerging markets.

“My next step is to establish a fund that can bring the experience of Rwanda’s innovation ecosystem to other countries,” Pascal recently told The New Times. “We already have demand, and we will adjust to local realities in those markets.”

Fueling the Fire of Entrepreneurship

Those familiar with Pascal’s track record should know he is on his way to executing a holistic vision for what a thriving entrepreneurship ecosystem in Africa requires. With Norrsken East Africa’s success, he is championing multi-stakeholder communities that combine all the elements for startup growth — from access to investment and capacity-building resources to talent pools and policy connectivity.

From mobilizing a lean team and public-private partnerships to bringing together a pan-African community of entrepreneurs and investors to build solutions and attract venture capital, Pascal has gained invaluable first-hand experiences sustainably building aligned ecosystems. 

His next ambitious chapter will have him apply those hard-earned lessons (also shared in his ‘#WhatILearned from Norrsken’ LinkedIn post series) while tailoring strategies to new regional contexts and scaling operations through a fund model. After getting his strong start and footing in the Rwandan market, Pascal has the golden opportunity in his hands to shape entrepreneurship infrastructure across other markets like Nairobi, Lagos, Johannesburg, and beyond on the continent.

Also read: Ellie Habimana is named the new Managing Director of Norrsken East Africa.

Where Is This Startup Hub Visionary Heading?

Having built Africa’s largest entrepreneurship hub from the ground up to reshape how the region approaches startup community-building, all eyes are on Pascal to see how he will top that landmark achievement. One question looms: Will his next project catalyze billion-dollar and high-growth startups in Africa by seamlessly channeling investment and support? 

As he puts together the final pieces for his daring next move, one thing is clear: Pascal’s ambition to promote impact entrepreneurship on a bigger scale represents a massive opportunity that will leave the region’s innovation ecosystem and startup economy much better by far for its players, particularly the founders and professionals.

When everything goes according to plan, Pascal Murasira may just architect the rise of a new era of startup hubs across capitals and cities in Africa and beyond.