Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) in collaboration with InfoDev established Dar Teknohama Business Incubator (DTBi) which is hosted at COSTECH. DTBi aims to serve as a hub for technology start-ups and is actively identifies and provides for the value-added services required to support incubator. Since its establishment in 2011 a total of 29 ICT based solutions (innovations) from 27 incubates have been commercialized through different arrangements and agreements with private entities and government departments. Due to this, there was a creation of 559 direct and more than 16,000 indirect employments.

Recently DTBi-COSTECH in collaboration with MCC/PEPFAR has launched a project on data usage innovation challenge. With financial support from PEPFAR and technical support from DTBi to innovators who won the challenge a total of 20 innovations were created by Tanzanian graduates covering the areas of health and education to adolescent girls and women.  Among of the support functions provided to those innovators include the following: Business development support, channeling new innovations into the market, Access to finance, Training and information provision, Mentoring, Networking and Physical resources.

The important point to be noted is that the success of the above services was attributed by the invisible qualities of the collaboration between DTBi and (COSTECH). Examples of successful innovations from DTBi include protected and commercialized number of technologies like; CAS through TCU, V-Somo e-learning platform used by VETA , TiGo Back-up through TiGo, TANESCO – TANESCO-HUDUMA, Maxmalipo (TRA, LGAs, TANESCO etc.), MRECOM throgh LGA, Twende technology and Wezesha. Thus, to make sure that this experience is sustained, and majority of Tanzanians are benefiting, COSTECH in collaboration with DTBi decided to pilot a model of virtual business incubator in partnership with Local Government Authorities in Mwanza Municipality and this effort will be widened to other parts of Tanzania.