Four weeks to decide if you are ready to build — and to start, well.
A focused, cohort-based program for first-time and very early African founders. Designed for the people who are venturing into building for the first time and want a structured, honest start rather than a pitch-deck sprint.
First-time and early founders — including students, professionals, and operators stepping out — anywhere in Africa. You should have an idea or a clear domain you want to build into. Existing revenue is not required.
Four weeks. One live cohort session a week, plus structured weekly assignments, small-group circles, and one-on-one office hours with a mentor. Roughly six hours of commitment per week.
No equity. No cash fee for selected founders. Program costs are underwritten by our ecosystem-support partners.
Four pillars, four weeks.
The program is deliberately tight. We focus on the small number of decisions that actually determine whether a first-time founder makes a clean start — or burns a year building the wrong thing.
What founding actually is — the day-to-day, the trade-offs, and the questions you should be able to answer about yourself before you commit to a company.
Choosing a problem worth working on. Running customer conversations that produce real signal, not flattering noise.
Translating an idea into a buildable shape — solution, simplest version, who pays, who else has tried, and what would have to be true.
Designing your first month of building, planning a simple test, and learning how to make go / no-go decisions on real evidence.
A structured month, not a long course.
Each week stacks on the last. By the end of week four you have done real customer work, shaped a venture, and made an honest, evidence-based decision about whether to start.
Mentors who work with the cohortLive opening session, founder-fit self-assessment, and a structured journal to clarify why you are starting, what you are willing to commit, and what would make you walk away.
Frame the problem in the customer’s language. Run five structured conversations with people who have it. Bring the transcripts to the live workshop.
Define your simplest first version, the riskiest assumption, the market shape, and the unit economics back-of-envelope. End the week with a one-page venture brief.
Plan your first month of building. Present a five-minute walk-through to mentors and peers. Receive a written debrief and a clear go / pause / pivot recommendation.
Apply for the next cohort.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. We run multiple cohorts a year and select for founders who will use the four weeks well — not for the most polished pitch.