The Founder Academy is a 3-month program designed to help you kickstart your startup founder journey. The programme features workshops with experts, video tutorials delivered by founders from across Africa, fireside chats with experienced startup operators and investors, office hours sessions, and weekly deliverables to keep you focused and progressing towards launching your Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and securing your first users.
Once you’ve graduated from our Founder Academy, you’ll become eligible to apply to our Accelerator program that prepares you to become investment-ready and will also be potentially considered for investment from our upcoming ALX Ventures Fund.
“The Founder Academy has been very useful and has played a big role in my growth and mindset in terms of my business and the ability to push forward and make my dream a reality.”
Deborah Falope – Founder of AquaTrack and Graduate of the Founder Academy
Who should enroll?
The Founder Academy is perfect for new or aspiring entrepreneurs who are ready to do hard things and solve local and global challenges through business. Read some of the profiles from past Founder Academy graduates.
Selection Criteria & Requirements
Aged 18-34
Of African origin
Want to explore entrepreneurship as a career path
Ready to commit 15 hours per week towards this 3-month program
Haven’t raised significant funding or revenue yet
Application submitted before Cohort deadline
Agree to the Founder Academy Terms and Conditions
Idea To Impact
Turn your idea into real impact in different markets through our curated 12-week program!
Week 0 You will join a welcome call, sign into our learning platform, engage with peers in the program, and prepare to begin your journey.
Weeks 1-4
During the “Think” sprint, you will be challenged to reflect on your motivations, begin market research and identify a business model.
Weeks 5-8
During the “Build” sprint, you will learn how to rapidly develop a prototype, seek user feedback, and leverage data and AI to launch your Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
Weeks 9-12
During the “Launch” sprint, you will learn how to create a sales strategy, begin sourcing a pipeline of early users, establish an operational plan and budget, and prepare a pitch deck.
Week 13
During “Demo Day”, you will pitch to prospective customers and investors, and compete for cash prizes and investments.
Post-Program
Following successful completion of the Founder Academy, you will receive a certificate of completion and receive support in applying to our Accelerator program.
Get connected
Get Connected To Our Global Ecosystem
A network of global accelerators, investors and corporates await top-performing graduates from our programs.
Learn key skills
Learn Key Skills For Success in Entrepreneurship
Fees
All Fees Waived
Our partnerships allow us to offer eligible candidates access to sponsored world-class training with program costs waived.
For accepted Founder Academy learners, we have also waived the one-time administration fee to ensure as many people as possible have access to support in launching their own startup.
