Deadline: 30 June 2024
Applications are now open for the UCT GSB Solution Space/Ayoba e-Track 2024 Programme . Run in partnership with ayoba, the e-Track Programme is a two-stage early-stage venture acceleration and capacity building programme for high-impact entrepreneurs in South Africa and beyond. Adopting a high-touch scaling-up approach, the programme is designed to support teams in building scalable businesses with international potential. Individual participants can explore their own business idea or join an existing venture. The programme also serves as a platform for corporate partners to get involved and collaborate on specific research and development agendas.
e-Track is a two-stage venture acceleration programme, addressing the various stages of venture creation and development.
- The first phase is the 5-week venture launch course, which focuses on validating the venture concept.
- Phase two is the 12-week Venture Scale course, which aims to accelerate the development of the validated venture.
Benefits
- Ayoba Industry Partnership: ayoba is a free messaging app and much more, developed by Africans for Africans. The startups selected to advance to the Venture Exploration phase will have access to technical support and mentoring from field experts to get the guidance they need to accelerate their venture.
- Training: They apply a learning-by-doing approach. In workshops and clinics, scale-ups learn the founders' fundamentals and key skills focused on taking the business forward. Scale-ups apply what they learn through the practical results of each session.
- Consultancy services: Access to pro-bono partners and a network of consultants to support with specialised knowledge, e.g. legal, HR, digital user experience, venture capital.
- Feedback and guidance: expansions receive valuable feedback and guidance from our team and a network of experienced mentors and industry partners. Teams also have access to the University of Cape Town's (UCT) GSB Solution Space network of alumni and corporate partners.
- Coworking and Community: They focus on building a vibrant community of entrepreneurs and offer a calendar of regular events designed to increase a team's knowledge and expand their network. They prioritise peer learning and mentoring through access to their co-working space and regular business hours.
Eligibility
- They are looking for innovation-orientated, high-impact expansions with solutions that are relevant to the African market and have global potential.
- They are looking for high-impact individuals and teams. Individual participants can explore their own business idea or join an existing enterprise.
- Most of their expansions come in with some kind of business case, an initial version of a product and a few team members. They have a working prototype with a minimal set of features ready to carry out initial market tests to further establish the product and market suitability.
- The development of the initial concept demonstrates a deep and intimate understanding of the problem and the market need or opportunity. The idea must have progressed beyond concept and must show evidence of initial market testing, customers, revenues, patents or intellectual property registrations.
Application
