Call for Applications: ALX Africa Founder Academy Program 2024

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.

About ALXAfrica

ALX has created an unrivaled opportunity to prepare, launch, and grow careers. Through our best-in-class training, and our commitment to lifelong learning, we offer in-demand programmes in digital transformation, business intelligence and support, and entrepreneurship. ALX is brought to you by the organisation that leads African Leadership Academy, African Leadership University, and Anzisha Prize Foundation..

Founder Academy Program

Application Deadline	15 Mar 2024
Type	Entrepreneurs
Sponsor	ALXAfrica
Gender	Men and Women

Aim and Benefits of Founder Academy Program

This fully-sponsored programme includes:

Pitch deck and business plan templates
Live masterclasses and fireside chats with experts
Tools to validate, develop, and launch your idea or prototype
Vibrant community of peers from across Africa for networking and support
Potential access to funding from ALX Ventures venture fund

Requirements for Founder Academy Program Qualification

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

Interview date, Process and Venue for Founder Academy Program

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.