The MEST Africa 2023 Entrepreneurial Training Program for Tech Startups

Ikenna Nwachukwu

2 years ago

Applications are now open for the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) Africa Training Program for 2023. This program is designed for persons who aspire to be tech entrepreneurs or are building a startup in its very early stages.

Read more about Opportunities

The MEST Africa training program is a 12-month learning exercise covering business, software development and communications modules. It also incorporates practical project work and will end with a final pitch and the chance to secure seed investment. Teaching fellows at MEST will be drawn from some of the world’s leading universities, and mentors will include executives from top companies in Africa and globally. They have worked with such organizations as Facebook, Samsung, Safaricom, Interswitch, and several others. To date, MEST has invested more than $25 million in entrepreneurs and funded over 80 software companies in Africa. Alumni of its training program have gone on to receive further support from global investors, and have been accepted into some of the best accelerator programs in the world (Y Combinator, TechStars, and 500 Startups).

Benefits

Entrepreneurs who take part in this program will benefit from it in the following ways:

Get a fully-funded scholarship to enrol in the program
Receive world-class entrepreneurial education
Participate in hands-on projects that will enable them to acquire vital soft and technical skills
Develop a refined pitch strategy
Stand the chance of securing seed funding at the end of the program

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Eligibility

The MEST Africa training program is open to people who meet these conditions:

Have a degree from a top university or technical college, and at least two years of experience in the corporate or startup world
Strong skills in one of these areas: software development, business, or communications
Should be prepared to attend the program on-site for as long as it lasts (one year)
Must complete the pre-learning courses they are assigned as part of the selection process
Must have excellent leadership, people, and collaborative skills
Should be self-driven and ready to launch a tech startup that solves pressing problems and contributes to economic growth and development on the African continent

The Application Process

Persons who are interested in applying for this program can do so here. They are expected to complete the pre-learning courses linked below:

Enterprise Design Thinking Practitioner (from IBM)
Understanding the basics of code (from Google)

After they have completed the first course listed above (with IBM), applicants should create an account here. As soon as they do this, their badge recognizing that they have completed the program will automatically be posted there. They can access their profile link by clicking the profile icon and selecting ‘view my profile’. Applicants should complete both courses listed above, submit their profile links, and upload their certificates before the registration deadline.

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Next, they must take an aptitude test on the platform linked here. Their score on this test will be requested when they are filling out the application form. After following the steps referred to above, they may then proceed to complete the application form linked here. Applications will remain open until February 26, 2023. Final interviews will take place in Accra, Lagos, Dakar, Nairobi, and Johannesburg in April and May 2023. The MEST training program will commence in August, in Accra, Ghana. If you would like to find out more about the MEST Africa 2023 Entrepreneurial Training Program, click here. Featured Image Source: Opportunities For Africans

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