UCT GSB Solution Space/Ayoba e-Track Program 2023 for African Entrepreneurs

Published: 08 Mar 2023

Are you a problem solver? A risk-taker? Do you see yourself as an entrepreneur?

If you answered, yes. Then you are the perfect candidate for the e-Track programme – an early-stage venture acceleration and capacity-building programme for high-impact entrepreneurs brought to you by UCT GSB Solution Space, an innovation and entrepreneurship hub associated with the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business (which is Africa’s leading triple-crowned business school), in partnership with ayoba.

The programme is proudly funded by ayoba, a SuperApp (all-in-one app) built to narrow the digital divide in Africa for users while accelerating the digitisation and growth of small businesses. With over 20 million active users, the platform promotes hyper-local content through its channels feature, which gives users access to free content across diverse categories ranging from news, sports, fashion, education, entertainment, games, music and more.  Additionally, the app helps small business accelerate their growth through the MicroApps.

e-Track is a two-phase venture acceleration programme, tackling the various stages of venture building and development.

• Phase one is the 5-week Venture Launch course which focuses on validating the venture concept.
• Phase two is the 12-week Venture Exploitation course which is aimed at accelerating the development of the validated venture.

Phase two is aimed at accelerating the development of the validated venture and culminates in a Pitch Day, where ventures pitch to a room full of potential investors, venture capitalists and capacity builders that could take the start-up to even greater heights.

UCT GSB Solution Space/Ayoba e-Track Program

Application Deadline	March 29, 2023
Country to study	South Africa
Type	Entrepreneurs
Sponsor	University of Cape town
Gender	Men and Women

Benefits of UCT GSB Solution Space/Ayoba e-Track Program

• Not only does joining this programme help you build your business, you also become part of the start-up ecosystem, get access to a wealthy network through our partners and potentially, access to local markets. Additionally, you have access to co-working spaces, seasoned industry experts and advisory services that are bound to change the trajectory of your venture.
• The co-working space enables start-ups to become part of a growing community and network of passionate founders looking to build the future. Two locations are available: UCT GSB Solution Space Waterfront and Philippi Village Hubs, both equipped with Wi-Fi, hot desks, lounge areas, and meeting rooms. Over the course of the programme, start-ups have access to some of the most innovative, creative, and seasoned experts in the venture space, where they can obtain insights and advice from venture capitalists, creative directors, legal guides, and serial entrepreneurs.  There are also masterclasses in a range of topics including Legal, Tax and Accounting, Human Resources, Branding and Marketing.

Requirements for UCT GSB Solution Space/Ayoba e-Track Program

• We are looking for innovation-driven and high impact scale-ups with solutions that are relevant to the African market and with global potential.
• We are looking for both high impact individuals and teams. Individual participants can either explore their own business idea or join an existing venture.

Selection Process

• The UCT GSB Solution Space team reviews the applications and the top scale-ups and individuals complete the Venture Launch Programme. The 5-week training and preparation programme aims to validate the venture opportunity and the team.
• The top 15 scale-ups are selected to participate in the 12-week Venture Exploitation Programme to accelerate the development of their venture. This is done through a high touch scale-up process that aims to concretize the product and secure customer buy-in.

Application Deadline

March 29, 2023

How to Apply

Interested and qualified? Go to University of Cape town on forms.office.com to apply