African EdTech startups aiming to improve educational outcomes on the continent have been urged to apply to take part in the fourth cohort of Injini’s incubation programme.
The first round of applications opened on Monday, 14 October 2019 and will officially close on Tuesday, 10 December 2019 at 11h59.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and those startups that the team would like to learn more about will be invited to the second-round application process, which closes on Friday, 3 January 2020 at 11h59.
A final screening round will take place telephonically during the first two weeks of January, with the top 12 being invited to pitch to a panel of judges at the Injini Selection Day at the end of the same month.
Injini, the specialised EdTech incubator of the Cape Innovation & Technology Initiative (CiTi), in partnership with the UBS Optimus Foundation, the Southern Africa Innovation Support Programme (SAIS) and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, will be supporting up to eight high-potential EdTech startups with financial and bespoke advisory resources through the course of the incubation programme.
Running from March until August 2020, the selected ventures will get access to $6800 (R100,000) in grant funding, which will be dispersed in three tranches over the duration of the programme, contingent on their ability to meet pre-defined performance and participation expectations. They will also be eligible for follow-on equity investment of up to $68,000 (R1 million) by Injini.
Further, the selected teams will have the opportunity to attend tailored business workshops and one-on-ones with subject matter experts; engage with the Injini team and its network of mentors and coaches in EdTech, education, business and technology; as well as receive a series of customised research and data insights prepared for and with them.
Plus, participating EdTech startups will get to live and work in Cape Town, South Africa during the first and third phases of the incubation programme (from mid-March until the end of April and from mid-July to mid-August, respectively), with all international travel and accommodation, along with a living stipend, covered for up to two members from each team.
Entrepreneurs interested in jumping on this opportunity must have registered companies with at least one full-time founder who is fluent in English and able to travel to South Africa during the relevant phases. Injini is looking for evidence-based solutions that address key problems in African education with at least a minimum viable product or prototype.
Ideally, the founding teams of selected startups will have had previous work experience, with some members having strong backgrounds in education and/or technology. More mature EdTech startups (e.g. post-revenue, solidified business models, beginning to scale) are also welcome to apply.
“We are so excited to begin this journey in selecting our next cohort of EdTech startups. We’re honoured to have the opportunity to support even more entrepreneurs in unlocking Africa’s potential with their innovations in education,” says Krista Davidson, Head of Operations at Injini.
To apply, or for more information, go to https://www.injini.co.za.
