Documentary-style film to ignite investor interest

The Challenge

TRANSFORM is a public–private sector collaboration between FCDO, Unilever, and EY that supports early-stage social entrepreneurs across Africa and South Asia. One of the ventures they backed was MESH, the first online community for entrepreneurs in Kenya, connecting over 100,000 members.

Our task was to create an investor relations film that would bring to life both the scale of Kenya’s entrepreneurial culture and the transformative role of the MESH platform. The goal was to move beyond statistics and showcase authentic personal stories that would spark investor interest, build credibility, and demonstrate the opportunity in the informal economy, which contributes an estimated $290 million every month.

The Solution

We adopted a documentary-style approach to capture the energy, creativity, and resilience of Kenya’s young entrepreneurs. Working closely with TRANSFORM and MESH, we identified three entrepreneurs whose businesses and livelihoods illustrated the platform’s real-world impact.

• On-the-ground storytelling: Our film team travelled to their homes and workplaces in Kenya to document personal stories, business challenges, and future ambitions.
• Authentic perspectives: By focusing on lived experiences rather than abstract data, we highlighted how MESH creates connections that directly support growth and opportunity.
• Visual narrative: The film combined real-life interviews with a vibrant network animation that symbolised how family, community, and MESH intersect to form a powerful entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The final product was a cinematic yet intimate film designed to engage at the highest levels — from investors and business leaders to government officials.

Value Created

The film provided TRANSFORM and MESH with a powerful asset to showcase the potential of Kenya’s informal economy and the entrepreneurs driving it.

• Investor engagement: The film became a tool to spark dialogue with investors, governments, and partners by moving them emotionally as well as intellectually.
• Authentic representation: By giving entrepreneurs a voice in their own environment, the film avoided generic messaging and instead delivered a credible, human-centered view of Kenya’s start-up ecosystem.
• Versatility: Both TRANSFORM and MESH continue to use the film across websites, events, and investor meetings, ensuring lasting value as a communications and advocacy tool.

Through agile filmmaking and authentic storytelling, we helped demonstrate how a connected entrepreneurial community can fuel economic growth and attract the support needed to scale.