About us – Team

The Urban Change Lab Team helps you to precisely realize your practical ideas for hand-crafted items. Your concept will be crafted by an artisan in Africa (e.g. Kenya, Ghana or Nigeria).

If you like, you can establish contact with your artisan in the process. A positive side-effect of this: not only do you receive a beautiful product, you also contribute directly to economic development in Africa. Furthermore, your concept will contribute to the local inspiration, and ideally be attractive to other customers, who may buy the product you developed. In this way, your idea could become the basic livelihood of a family, for example in Kenya.

The Urban Change Lab wants to make the world a little bit better. It is our aim to turn good ideas into reality. We would like to be a place for inspiration; Inspiration for good products, as well as good business models. If you want to contact us, don’t hesitate.

The Urban Change Lab has deliberately been set up as a for-profit venture. We don’t only want to do good; we want to earn money fairly and transparently while we’re at it.

The Urban Change Lab was founded as an incubator based on the Lean StartUp Principle for fresh business models. It is our purpose to develop sustainable business models and to launch them into the market. Aside from our primary service, ‘Your idea for a more beautiful world‘, we also have further projects on the market.

Team

Founder & Managing Partner

Dipl.-Ing. Jochen Baumeister (Berlin, Germany)

Jochen is a serial entrepreneur and consultant with more than 20 years experience. He has an degree in urban planning from the University of Dortmund. Furthermore he in an educated craftsman in electronics. This contributes to a better understanding of the challenges the local artisans working for us face. Jochen is married to a Kenyan medical doctor who brought him closer to Kenyan society.

Local Operations

Herman Busuru (Nairobi, Kenya)

Herman is a real estate professional based in Kenya. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Bachelor of Real Estate from the University of Nairobi and works as a real estate consultant. He is also a director at the The Spear foundation, which is a non-profit organization, whose main aim through volunteers and sponsors, seeks to raise donations to bring those in need into schools across Kenya. He as well, has worked for various organizations including, AIESEC, Jumia Kenya and Gimco Limited in various capacities.

Advisory board

Prof. Dr. Michael Benfield (Monmouthshire, Wales)

Michael is one of the four co-founders of the International Green Party movement & has a Doctorate in European Environmental Planning & Property Development. Born in Coventry, he ‘grew up on the tools’ as an apprentice carpenter & builder & was educated at Warwick School, Loughborough, Coventry, & Newcastle Universities. As visiting Professor of Civil & Construction Engineering Research with the University of Wales, Newport he promoted environmental ‘eco’ construction issues. He is MD of specialist timber frame engineers, Benfield ATT Group.

Dipl.-Ing. Sina Uti-Waziri (Abuja, Nigeria)

Sina works for the German Development Cooperation and is currently stationed in Ghana, working as an advisor in the area of Good Financial Governance. Prior to that she was with GIZ in Nigeria supporting the Nigerian Government in improving the Business Enabling Environment and supporting Local Economic Development. Like Jochen she holds a degree in Urban Planning and a post graduate degree in international development cooperation from the SLE in Berlin.

Valerie Baumeister (Medical doctor, Berlin)

Valerie Baumeister is a medical doctor in neurology, educated and practicing in Berlin, Germany. She grew up in Nairobi, Kenya. Driven by the interactions between traders and customers, she understands the benefits of fair trading and the resultant advantages in terms of quality for the customers and the profit for the craftsmen. Her market experience with the arts market in Kenya has helped bring a particular insight into the day to day interaction between customers and craftsmen. She acts as the sounding board to avoid falling into the “Danger of a single story” on a day to day consultancy with Jochen.