For African students and recent graduates who want to solve pressing problems and bring entrepreneurial ideas to life.
The Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship on Entrepreneurship gives African students and recent graduates the opportunity to access training, resources, financial support and a network of mentors to develop their entrepreneurial skills and start building their own venture. The 8-month program develops the exceptional entrepreneurial skillset and mindset of leaders to drive social and financial impact.
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The program gave me a chance to really reflect on what work I’m trying to do and really opened me to the idea that it is a journey: you’re not going to get it figured out on the first try. The fellowship and pitch competition have been instrumental in my early journey with Kwela Brews.
Reitumetse (Tumi) Kholumo, Founder of Kwela Brews, 2022 Fellow
University of Cape Town | Stellenbosch University
Program Benefits
We provide participants who demonstrate a willingness to learn, take risks, and commit themselves fully with the best that our innovation centre has to offer.
- Business bootcamp delivered by Queen’s University faculty and industry leaders who bring decades of combined entrepreneurship and C-Suite experience
- The Disciplined Entrepreneurship framework, a proven step-by-step framework for scalable startups developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Pitch coaching and mastery
- Live workshops on marketing, goal setting, and recruiting are held throughout the program
- Opportunity to earn micro-credentials on Entrepreneurship awarded by »ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ for successful completion the courses
- Liaise with mentors and speakers leading innovation and entrepreneurship in North America
- Access a Global Network of Queen’s entrepreneurial alumni
- Join a cohort of thousands of like-minded students and recent grads from across Africa
- Fellows are matched to industry leaders and entrepreneurs in the final phase of the program
- Receive feedback at important startup milestones
Our Mentors include:
Christine Kamala, founder of Christie's Crisp
Kora Sabi Janvier, founder of Allo Veto
Oluwasegun Oluwaleti, founder of Water Boy
Duncan Asamoah, founder of Mr. Neat Company
and many others
- Up to 60 Fellows will be selected in the final phase to receive a stipend of $500 CAD
- Opportunities to pitch for prizes of up to $15,000 CAD in the pitch competition at the end of the program
We believe we do our best work when we tackle problems from diverse perspectives.
We are committed to removing barriers to entrepreneurship and making the program accessible to as many people as possible. Our team continuously refines the courses based on participant feedback and user needs to ensure a more inclusive learning experience.
Examples of our inclusivity in action:
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Gender inclusion: 55% of participants identified as women. We continue to actively encourage women to apply and provide flexible learning opportunities which have resulted in a 30% increase in female retention between the Explore and Ignite stages of the program.
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Accessible learning: The program has been adapted to support participants with limited internet access, offering downloadable content and language support for French-speaking learners.
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Student-driven design: We surveyed students to identify the most convenient and affordable ways to learn online. In response, teaching methods were adapted to include more live Zoom seminars, lower-resolution pre-recorded lessons, mobile-friendly coursework, and screen-reader-compatible content for visually impaired learners.
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Open credentials: All Queen’s University digital badges and certificates are provided free of charge and can be accessed online anytime, from anywhere. Each credential includes a unique Blockchain ID to ensure permanent, verifiable recognition of achievements.
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Personalized support: Every participant is paired with a program coach for one-on-one guidance and gains access to a community of more than 15 mentors to support their entrepreneurial journey.
Although intensive, the program is brilliantly structured to help busy entrepreneurs successfully go through the rigorous training schedule. One of the most beneficial elements of the program is access to a network of experienced coaches and mentors we can rely on for practical advice relating to our enterprises.
Victor Boafo, Founder of EntoFarms, 2022 Fellow
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology
Who Can Apply
We welcome students and recent graduates from all academic disciplines and any post-secondary institution in Africa. Whether you’re already building a business or just exploring a new idea, this program will help you take the next step.
What We’re Looking For
We seek participants who are:
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Committed to developing their entrepreneurial mindset
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Ready to make the most of the program’s resources and mentorship
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Willing to dedicate at least 10 hours per week to their entrepreneurial journey
The program is fully virtual and can be completed at your own pace over the 8-month program cycle, but participants must meet assignment deadlines to advance through the program phases.
Language and Accessibility
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Program content is delivered in English
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Mentorship may be offered in English and French
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Assignments and pitches must be completed in English
Applicants who are not fluent in English are still encouraged to apply. You can:
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Form a team with someone who can meet the English-language requirements, or
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Work with your university or local organizations to access language support and resources.
The experience has been surreal, immersive, amazing, and far beyond my expectations. It has been a journey of grit and hard work, learning and hands-on practice, guidance and mentorship, support and hope. The greatest lesson for me has been to always do things well because you never know where it will lead you.
Ewaoluwa Olasoji, Founder of Lotanna, 2022 Fellow
Obafemi Awolowo University
Program Timeline
Phase 1: Explore (January-February)
1000+ exceptional candidates receive access to a curated list of online entrepreneurship courses and work through the first 11 steps of the Disciplined Entrepreneurship framework workbook. Candidates have several months to demonstrate their commitment to the entrepreneurial process by completing the training and progressing on their ideas' respective milestones.
Guiding Questions:
- Who is my customer?
- What can I do for them?
Milestones:
- Make observations through interviews or some other means
- Clearly define and validate the problem you are solving by speaking to end users
- Validate or invalidate key assumptions which are the basis of creating the solution you want to work on
- Ideate – generate solutions to the problem you are solving
- Create a journey map of your end users’ experience using your solution
Phase 2: Ignite (March-April)
180+ finalists with an outstanding commitment to the entrepreneurship process, who will have excelled at the milestones set out in phase one will be selected to join this phase. Under this phase, they will continue to go through an additional curated list of additional online entrepreneurship courses and work through the remaining steps of the Disciplined Entrepreneurship framework's workbook. At the end of this phase, the participants will pitch their ideas, competing for the fellowship, and the most advanced and promising business ideas will become the finalists who receive the fellowship.
Guiding Questions:
- How does your end user acquire your solution?
- How will this be funded or become financially sustainable?
Milestones:
- Develop channels to market and reach out to any necessary partners
- Create a business model or a plan for funding your solution
- Prototype your solution in the simplest way possible that still allows you to generate meaningful feedback from end users
- Validate all critical assumptions by creating experiments and test your solution using your prototype
Phase 3: Launch and Fellowship (May-August)
Up to 60 Fellows will be selected to join DDQIC's summer incubation program. During this phase, Fellows will get the opportunity to work on their ideas, access seed funding, and participate in weekly 3-2-1 pitch presentations about the work they are doing as they transform their ideas into scalable startups. In addition, Fellows will receive a $500 stipend and dedicated coaches and mentors from DDQIC’s Global Network of industry experts and entrepreneurs. Fellows will have the opportunity to compete in a pitch competition for more seed funding at the end of the program.
Guiding Questions:
- How do you execute your solution?
- How can you scale it?
Milestones:
- Pilot your solution in a more real life scenario
- Generate expressions of interest, end users, or customers
- Create a plan to scale
Graduation (August)
Startup entrepreneurs (Fellows) will complete their incubation program at the end of August. After graduation, Fellows will continue to receive post-incubation services, support, and pitch competition opportunities as part of DDQIC’s network.
High-performing Fellows will be invited to participate as ambassadors and mentors for future Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowships as well.
Program Outcomes
DDQIC conducts interviews and surveys to evaluate the program and collect feedback.
84% of the 2023 participants stated that their venture has hired at least 1 youth since starting the program.
97% of 2022 Fellows thought the program was "very" or "extremely" helpful in helping them further their venture.
100% increase in participants indicating they have paying users or customers from pre-program to post-program.
Primary Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) addressed:
Goal 1: No Poverty
Goal 3: Good Health & Wellbeing
Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship Final Impact Report 2023
Fellows' Success Stories
2024 Final Report
Discover the inspiring stories and impactful achievements of the 2024 Fellows and their enterprises.
Judith Onza Eyoa
Judith Onza Eyoa, inspired by her father's struggle to find suitable shoes for his walking disability, founded "AfriShoe Uganda" at the age of 25 with the support of the Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship. This venture crafts affordable, durable, and customized footwear for individuals with walking disabilities in Uganda, using locally available materials.
Read the ArticleEnoch Muwangezi
Enoch Muwangezi not only runs Ugabrush, but its parent company, Deploy Resource Africa, which oversees ventures that create eco-friendly products as they provide employment opportunities to the youths in the community.
Eunice Kloe
Since August 2021, BidiGreen Ghana, a smokeless charcoal production and distribution company in Ghana, has grown their team, mostly comprised of women, to increase the production and distribution of its charcoal briquettes.
Dennis Ssekimpi
Hya Bioplastics is changing the packaging landscape in Africa through its innovative and patent-pending process that re-engineers plant fibers to produce bioplastics. Hya Bioplastics used the $10,000 seed funding from the DDQIC Summer Pitch Competition to help scale production from 500 to 10,000 units daily. To date, Hya Bioplastics has raised $125L in investments, grants, prizes and awards.
Titose Chembezi
Titose Chembezi joined the 2021 JL MCF program to grow Altery, a digital platform that uses an innovative approach for SMEs and the informal sector to access credit. Titose won $10,000 at the Summer Pitch Competition, along with several other prizes to grow her company.
Since finishing the program, Titose is frequently featured on FinTech panels, won the Mandela Washington Fellowship, presents her research at conferences, and is becoming a leading figure in South Africa’s FinTech industry.
Titose has shifted focus to Nautilus, which provides strong, hardware-enforced, and remotely attestable guarantees of data and execution confidentiality. They help clients execute code over highly sensitive datasets without exposing the data while providing strong ownership, control, and privacy guarantees for data owners.
"The Final Pitch Competition experience was great exposure for me because it was the first time my team and I got to compete with ventures from Canada and won a prize. It taught me to move past the stigma that startups from the African continent may not be competent enough compared to the West and also gave me the courage to see the world as my oasis."
Our Partners
Applicant and Student Resources
Visit the Frequently Asked Questions webpage to learn answers to common queries about the application process and program details.