01Mindset
First Commercialisation Principles
We approach every piece of research and every university and industry partnership with the end goal in mind: getting innovations out of the lab and into the market where they can create real-world impact.
Our Vision
Every African university, an engine of prosperity.Not just a centre of learning.
Universities represented on MARATTO™
Abia State UniversityNigeria
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa UniversityNigeria
Accra Technical UniversityGhana
Adekunle Ajasin UniversityNigeria
Adeleke UniversityNigeria
Afe Babalola UniversityNigeria
Akenten Appiah-menka University Of Skills Training And Entrepreneurial DevelopmentGhana
Babcock UniversityNigeria
Bahir Dar UniversityEthiopia
Bayero University KanoNigeria
Benadir UniversitySomalia
Botswana International University of Science and TechnologyBotswana
Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural ResourcesBotswana
Caleb UniversityNigeria
Cape Coast Technical UniversityGhana
Cape Peninsula University of TechnologySouth Africa
Abia State UniversityNigeria
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa UniversityNigeria
Accra Technical UniversityGhana
Adekunle Ajasin UniversityNigeria
Adeleke UniversityNigeria
Afe Babalola UniversityNigeria
Akenten Appiah-menka University Of Skills Training And Entrepreneurial DevelopmentGhana
Babcock UniversityNigeria
Bahir Dar UniversityEthiopia
Bayero University KanoNigeria
Benadir UniversitySomalia
Botswana International University of Science and TechnologyBotswana
Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural ResourcesBotswana
Caleb UniversityNigeria
Cape Coast Technical UniversityGhana
Cape Peninsula University of TechnologySouth Africa
The Problem
Africa is not behind on talent. It is behind on commercialisation.
Africa has 1,500+ universities. Most have no way to turn their research into reality. MARATTO™ changes that.
The research exists. The minds exist. What does not exist is the system to connect them to the economy. That is the structural gap MARATTO™ was built to close.
In 1980, the Bayh-Dole Act gave US universities the legal and structural framework to commercialise research. That is a 46-year head start built into the operating layer of American innovation. Africa is not playing catch-up on talent. It is playing catch-up on plumbing.
There are three drains holding African research back: brain drain, resource drain, and structural drain. Brain drain and resource drain are documented. The structural drain is less discussed but equally devastating. MARATTO™ addresses it directly.
Kenya is investing $15M
To bring 50% of institutions up to TTO standard by 2030. This is not an isolated experiment. It is independent confirmation of the same insight.
Egypt has its TICO network
A national platform for technology innovation and commercialisation, built on the premise that universities must connect to industry at scale.
Southern Africa has SARIMA
A SADC regional body coordinating research commercialisation across Southern Africa. Country by country, the conclusion is the same.
MARATTO™ is the pan-African layer that connects them. Not country by country. Continent-wide, from the start.
The Solution
Africa's outsourced Technology Transfer Office.
Everything a TTO does. None of what it costs to build one. Delivered in three layers.
01
Free Intelligence Layer
MARATTO™'s platform surfaces each university's research, patents, student ventures, and alumni network in a publicly accessible profile. Every university, visible to the world.
02
Fractional TTO Service
Universities that engage MARATTO™ get access to a curated network of Fractional Domain Experts deployed against their specific research commercialisation and student venture needs.
03
Industry Connection
MARATTO™ connects university research to the corporates, investors, and development partners that can commercialise it. We do not wait for industry to find research. We bring the deal to the table.
Our Values
MARATTO™ Core Values
Five operating principles. Not wall art. Every decision we make is traceable back to at least one.
02Execution
Builders, Not Briefers
We don’t just write reports and offer theoretical advice. We roll up our sleeves, deploy our expertise, and actively build the commercial pathways alongside our university and industry partners.
03Community
On-Continent + Diaspora, We Are One
We recognise that Africa’s greatest asset is its people, no matter where they are. We bring together local context and global exposure to create a unified force for African innovation.
04Intentionality
Engineered, Not Inherited
We do not copy the slow, legacy path of building traditional Technology Transfer Offices. We deliberately engineer our own, using AI, technology, and an on-demand knowledge force to build something designed for African institutions from the ground up, not adapted from someone else’s blueprint.
05Attitude
We CAN Because We Are AfriCAN
We operate with an inherent, unapologetic belief in the continent’s potential. We approach bottlenecks with optimism, resilience, and the deeply held conviction that African innovation can and will compete globally.
Who This Is For
Three audiences. One platform.
Universities
For institutions that want a Technology Transfer Office without the overhead of building it in-house. MARATTO delivers the capability, the expertise, and the connections.
Explore University ServicesDomain Experts
For senior practitioners turning African university research into real-world products, patents, and partnerships. Compensated project work, thought leadership, and a growing network.
Join the Expert NetworkIndustry
For corporates, development finance institutions, and innovation bodies looking to engage African research and commercialisation at a continental scale.
Explore IndustryOur Mission
Commercialise African university research and innovation at scale.
The Team
The people behind MARATTO
A founder, an advisory board, and a growing network of senior practitioners turning African university research into ventures.
Phin Mpofu-Masamba II
Founder & CEO
Phin has spent over a decade building global startup ecosystems, including being a part of the community team that helped scale Startup Grind to more than 600 chapters across 120 countries. He founded MARATTO to give every African university the means to commercialise its research and innovation, without the cost of building a technology transfer office from scratch.
Advisory Board
MARATTO™ is governed by a four-person Advisory Board. They bring venture building, innovation policy, global health, and transaction advisory expertise across the continent and the diaspora.
Admire Mudangwe
Venture Building
Nine years as Vice President at JPMorgan Chase in London, with earlier roles at Deutsche Bank and HSBC. Now Venture Advisor at ImpiCapital Ventures and Startup Mentor at Techstars, supporting founders across FinTech, EdTech, and SaaS.
Dr Babongile Mkhize
Innovation Policy
Nineteen years at South Africa's Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, ending as Director of Innovation Priorities and Instruments. PhD in Technology and Innovation Management from The DaVinci Institute, where she now chairs the Convocation.
Dr Israa Siddig
Global Health
Fifteen years bridging clinical practice with global health policy at the NHS and the World Health Organization, alongside AI-driven healthcare ventures across Africa. Now OBGYN at King's College Hospital and Board Strategic Advisor at Women's Health Horizons.
Shingai Ngara
Transaction Advisory
Two decades across Absa Bank and Old Mutual in strategy and property investment roles, with a chemical engineering foundation. Now CEO of Gondofon Consultants and Transaction Advisor at Portals Global, focused on Africa's Just Transition.
The Network
MARATTO™ is powered by 40+ Fractional Domain Experts across Africa and the diaspora.
Adelaide Asante
Ghana
Commercialisation &
ESG Funding
Adeoluwa Adediran
Nigeria
Commercialisation &
Lab Infrastructure
Akshay Shah
Kenya
Commercialisation &
Enterprise Technology
Dr Bathabile Ramalapa
South Africa
Commercialisation &
Biotherapeutics
Charles Nweke
Nigeria
Commercialisation &
Investment Readiness
Courtney Hayden
United Kingdom
Medical Devices &
Healthcare Partnerships
Cynthia Bavo Harris
Tanzania
ESG Funding &
Research Commercialisation
Danielle Daku-Mante
Ghana
Carbon Accounting &
Climate Tech
Demani Jules-Carbon
United Kingdom
Commercialisation &
Ecosystem Development
Emily Odindo
Kenya
Operational Excellence &
FinTech
Franciscah Nzanga
Kenya
Operational Excellence &
Innovation Specialist
Geraldine Mupandanyama
Zimbabwe
Venture Growth &
Ecosystem Development
Happiness Watimanywa
Tanzania
Commercialisation &
Ecosystem Development
Hossam Fahmy
Egypt
Commercialisation &
IoT
Isabelle Ugochukwu
United Kingdom
Commercialisation &
HealthTech
Isioma Udeozo
Nigeria
Commercialisation &
Partnerships
Dr Josephine Ssirimuzaawo
Uganda
Education &
Psychology
Laryx Ochieng
Kenya
Commercialisation &
Ecosystem Development
Leonard Ogembo
Kenya
Commercialisation &
Digital Economy
Dr Lloyd Gwishiri
United Kingdom
Commercialisation &
Life Sciences
Mary Mindo
Egypt
Commercialisation &
Innovation Strategy
Mpho Goemekgabo
Botswana
Business Development &
Strategic Partnerships
Dr Nyango-Nkeh Adrienne Leussa
South Africa
Commercialisation &
BioTech
Nyasha Mutsekwa
Kenya
Commercialisation &
Enterprise Technology
Patience Karua
Tanzania
Commercialisation &
Ecosystem Development
Paul Mandele
Tanzania
Peggy Mapondera
Zimbabwe
Venture Growth &
Investment Readiness
Ramsay Shonge
South Africa
Intellectual Property &
Technology Transfer
Saad Belda
United Arab Emirates
Commercialisation &
Venture Building
Sidney Essendi
Kenya
Digital Transformation &
FinTech Specialist
Simon Mtabazi
Tanzania
Social Impact &
Product Innovation
Dr Suresh Babu Naidu Krishna
South Africa
Commercialisation &
Life Sciences
Takunda Chingonzo
United Kingdom
Commercialisation &
AI Strategy
Tim Chuma
Switzerland
Commercialisation &
Enterprise Technology
Dr Vuyisile Phehane
South Africa
Commercialisation &
Intellectual Property (IP)
Vuyiswa M’Cwabeni
Germany
Commercialisation &
Investment Readiness
Wangiwe Joanna Kambuzi
Malawi
Commercialisation &
Investment Readiness
Yvonne Njeri
Kenya
Commercialisation &
Innovation Management
Ready to get started?
Whether you represent a university that needs a Technology Transfer Office, a domain expert who wants to contribute to African research commercialisation, or an industry partner looking to engage at continental scale, there is a place for you here.