12 startups from across Africa will be selected to participate; Two ventures to secure $100,000 USD total in funding.
We are excited to announce the launch of our first Hardware accelerator in Africa, in partnership with
Gearbox, a unique space for inventors to build and showcase innovative ideas in East Africa. With support from The
Lemelson Foundation, The
Doen Foundation,
SGII, and
VC4Africa, Village Capital and Gearbox will provide unique capacity building to African Entrepreneurs looking to scale their businesses.
12 high-potential invention-based ventures will be selected to participate and will receive extensive feedback from their peers, potential customers, investors and industry experts, as well as the opportunity to peer-select two participating ventures to receive $50,000 each in pre-committed investment. The program is structured as three intensive 4-day sessions over 3 months with additional remote collaboration online between sessions.
There is no cost to apply and no program fee for chosen enterprises. We do not take equity up front for participation.
The application deadline is September 7th, but early applicants will receive more attention from our selection panel.
We are especially interested in companies seeking to improve access to energy for all or provide increased agricultural productivity for small-holder farmers. Examples include:
- Affordability: inventions that radically increase affordability of energy generation or agricultural products.
- Reduced Consumption: innovations that reduce the cost of consumption for small-holder farmers
- Efficiency: technologies that increase the efficiency of energy and/or agricultural distribution systems.
Program Dates:
Session 1: October 21-24; Nairobi, Kenya
Session 2: January 6-9; TBD
Session 3: February 22-25; Nairobi, Kenya
Travel Stipend:
Travel stipends will be provided for selected applicants in need. Special consideration will be given for entrepreneurs headquartered outside of Kenya.
To learn more about our program online,
click here.
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