Case 01 · Research Impact Lab engagement
Evaluating AI-enabled financial coaching for entrepreneurs
- Partner
- MESH
- Place
- Kenya
- Year
- 2026
The question
Can AI-enabled financial coaching improve how young entrepreneurs prepare, plan, and make business decisions?
A mixed-methods evaluation designed to distinguish platform engagement from meaningful changes in knowledge, confidence, financial preparedness, and business behaviour.
Context
Young entrepreneurs in Kenya's informal economy often work with limited access to formal business education, reliable financial advice, and decision-support tools. The evaluation needed to examine not only whether people accessed an AI money coach, but also who could use it effectively and what support made adoption possible.
Our contribution
- 01Developed an integrated evaluation framework linking intervention activity to behavioural and business outcomes.
- 02Synthesised evidence on digital financial education, AI-enabled coaching, entrepreneurial learning, and technology adoption.
- 03Designed a field experiment and quantitative measurement framework.
- 04Designed and conducted entrepreneur interviews, then triangulated experimental, survey, usage, and qualitative evidence.
Methods
- Evidence review
- Field experiment
- Survey design
- Interviews
- Triangulation
Outputs
- Evaluation framework
- Experimental design
- Interview protocol
- Integrated analysis plan
What the work enabled
The partner gained a structured basis for understanding which entrepreneurs benefited, what capabilities supported effective adoption, and how onboarding and digital-literacy support could be strengthened.