Start Right Summit 2026
START RIGHT SUMMIT 2026, Nairobi’s Top-Rated Business Working Session Is Where Founders Reset, Refocus and Build for Growth.
As Kenya’s entrepreneurial ecosystem matures, founders and business owners are increasingly discovering a hard truth. Growth does not come from working harder alone, but from working clearer, more intentionally, and with structure.
That reality is exactly what inspired the creation of the Start Right Summit, a business working session that has steadily earned its reputation as one of Nairobi’s most impactful founder-focused events since its launch in 2023.
This Saturday, 31st January 2026, the Start Right Summit returns to Holy Family Basilica, Nairobi. Notably, bringing together founders, entrepreneurs, SME owners, startup leaders, and professionals ready to step away from daily operations and work on their businesses.
With a focused theme of Strategy, Finance and Marketing in a Digital-First Market, the 2026 edition promises more than inspiration. It offers clarity, structure, practical tools, and guided thinking. Exactly what today’s business environment demands.
Filling a Critical Gap in Kenya’s Business Ecosystem
According to Eugene Muchai of Tie Events, the driving force behind the summit, the idea for Start Right Summit emerged from a clear gap in the market.
“When we launched the Start Right Summit in January 2023, the biggest gap we saw was the lack of structured, practical spaces for founders to pause, think and design their businesses properly without the heavy financial pressure that often comes with accessing such services,”
Muchai explains.
Many founders operate in constant survival mode, juggling operations, sales, staff, and finances with little time to step back and assess direction. Traditional conferences often provide motivation, but few create room for real-time business design.
Start Right Summit was intentionally designed as a working session, where participants do not just listen but actively design their year, assess their structures, and leave with tools to measure growth.
“It is a reset point,” Muchai adds. “A space to step back from survival mode and start building intentionally.”
Why Strategy, Finance and Marketing Matter More Than Ever
The 2026 theme directly addresses the realities facing Kenyan businesses today. Rising operational costs, intense digital competition, shifting consumer behavior, tighter capital access, and global economic uncertainty have placed founders under unprecedented pressure.
“In this environment, strategy, finance and marketing are no longer optional skills,” Muchai notes. “They are essential.”
Each pillar plays a distinct but interconnected role:
- Strategy brings clarity and direction
- Finance ensures sustainability, cash-flow discipline, and informed decision-making
- Marketing drives visibility, relevance, and revenue in a crowded digital marketplace
Together, they form the foundation of any resilient business.
“The theme directly addresses these core areas,” says Muchai. “It’s a super context for starting right.”
Not a Conference, A True Business Working Session
Unlike traditional events that prioritize speeches and motivation, Start Right Summit is intentionally structured to be hands-on.
On Saturday, 31st January 2026, participants can expect a four-hour experience that combines learning, reflection, collaboration, and execution.
By the end of the session, attendees will walk away with:
- A clear business strategy for the year
- Improved understanding of their financial structures and cash flow
- Exposure to standard operating procedures and risk management principles
- Practical insights into market positioning and sustainability
- Tools they can immediately apply in their businesses
- Renewed clarity and confidence in leadership and direction
“The summit is designed so founders are not just listening,” Muchai emphasizes. “They are thinking, writing, reflecting and recalibrating their businesses in real time.”
A Carefully Curated Speaker Line-Up
The 2026 Start Right Summit brings together a diverse group of speakers whose expertise spans strategy, entrepreneurship, risk management, coaching, leadership, and ethics.
The speakers include:
- Peter Nduati – Founder & CEO, Peter Nduati Consulting
- Thomas Kaberi – Commercial Growth Strategist, Optimal Consulting
- Alice Muhirwa – Executive Coach, Elevate with Alice
- Sylverstein Kyalo – Entrepreneur, Pastor & Strategy Expert
- Stephen Gathai – CEO, Explicit Risk Audit & Data (ERAD)
This diversity is deliberate.
“Business challenges are rarely one-dimensional,” Muchai explains. “A founder doesn’t just need technical knowledge; they need wisdom, resilience, ethics and perspective.”
By bringing together consultants, risk professionals, coaches and entrepreneurship leaders, the summit creates a holistic conversation about business as a system, not isolated departments.
Experienced Moderators Guiding the Conversation
The summit will also be guided by experienced moderators who ensure discussions remain practical, focused, and relevant to the realities founders face.
Moderators for Start Right Summit 2026 include:
- Janet Machuka – Founder, ATC Digital Academy
- Stephen Kimani – Founder, Be-live
- Ann Gathura – Founder & CEO, Ann’s Maths Club
- John Wafula – Corporate MC & Moderator
Their role is to facilitate meaningful dialogue, ask the right questions, and keep sessions grounded in real-world application.
Why Holy Family Basilica Is the Perfect Venue
Hosting a business summit at Holy Family Basilica is a bold and symbolic choice. For Muchai, the venue reflects the deeper philosophy behind Start Right Summit.
“It represents the idea that business and values do not exist in opposition,” he says.
Leadership requires integrity, reflection, and accountability, not ambition alone. The basilica setting creates a calm, reflective environment, very different from the usual conference halls.
“It reminds founders that the decisions they make impact people, communities and society,” Muchai adds. “That reflection is essential for ethical and sustainable business growth.”
Creating Space to Step Away From the Noise
One of the summit’s greatest strengths is its intentional timing and structure. Held on a Saturday, the event creates both mental and physical distance from daily operations. Founders are encouraged to shift from “working in the business” to “working on the business.”
The sessions are designed to help participants:
- Reassess priorities
- Identify inefficiencies
- Clarify long-term direction
- Make better strategic decisions
“This pause is powerful,” says Muchai. “Many founders realize they don’t need to work harder, they need to work clearer.”
To support this, the 2026 summit has also partnered with three mental health partners, acknowledging the emotional and psychological toll entrepreneurship can take.
Who Should Attend Start Right Summit 2026?
The summit is ideal for:
- Startup founders and co-founders
- SME owners and business leaders
- Entrepreneurs preparing to scale
- Professionals transitioning into entrepreneurship
- Business owners seeking clarity, structure and sustainability
Whether you are just starting or already running a growing enterprise, Start Right Summit provides a rare opportunity to pause, reflect and realign.
Tickets and Registration Details
Start Right Summit 2026 will take place on:
📍 Venue: Holy Family Basilica, Nairobi
📅 Date: Saturday, 31st January 2026
⏰ Time: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Ticket Options:
- Delegate Pass: KES 1,500
- Group Ticket Offer: KES 5,000
- Startup Exhibitor: KES 15,000
- Bronze Sponsor: KES 25,000
🎟 Register here: https://vabu.app/startright
📞 WhatsApp / Call: 0705 011 793
The Bigger Vision for Start Right Summit
Looking ahead, the vision for Start Right Summit extends far beyond a single event.
“Our long-term vision is for Start Right Summit to become a foundational leadership and business clarity platform across Kenya and Africa,”
Muchai explains.
The plan is to evolve into a series of curated working sessions throughout the year, supporting founders at different stages of their journey. It is also envisioned as a feeder platform into larger ecosystem events such as the Nairobi Startup Summit and Awards.
“We want to raise a generation of entrepreneurs who are strategic, financially disciplined, ethically grounded and purpose-driven,” Muchai says.
What’s Next? Nairobi Startup Summit & Awards 2026
For entrepreneurs looking to continue the journey beyond Start Right Summit, Tie Events also recommends the Nairobi Startup Summit and Awards, happening on April 29th and 30th.
While Start Right Summit focuses on internal clarity, systems and leadership, the Nairobi Startup Summit expands the conversation to:
- Global innovation
- Scaling and investment
- Inclusion and ESG
- Regional and international ecosystems
More details are available at www.nairobistartupsummit.co.ke.
Why You Should Attend
In a business environment defined by pressure and uncertainty, clarity has become one of the most valuable assets a founder can have. Start Right Summit 2026 offers exactly that: time, structure, guidance, and perspective.
For founders ready to stop reacting and start building intentionally, this Saturday at Holy Family Basilica may be the most important four hours they invest in their business this year.
Secure your seat today: https://vabu.app/startright
