Injini/Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship Program 2024

Injini’s EdTech Fellowship Program, in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation, presents a 6-month, equity-free, hybrid venture support initiative running from May to October 2024. This program adopts a partnership approach to business acceleration, emphasizing three core focus areas:

1. Facilitate market access with a lens to increase reach to learners at the “bottom of the pyramid”;
2. Design and implement, or refine, impact measurement, monitoring, and evaluation systems; and
3. Improve financial sustainability, including investment readiness support, where appropriate.

Details of Injini/Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship Program:

• Value: R2,500,000
• Funding Type: Fully Funded
• Country to study: South Africa
• Type: Fellowship
• Sponsor: Injini
• Gender: Men and Women

Benefits of Injini/Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship Program:

Each selected EdTech company, or “Fellow”, will receive Injini’s specialized acceleration support valued at over R2,500,000, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. Program benefits include:

• Hands-on support from specialists in education innovation, fundraising, impact M&E, commerce, and more;
• Pedagogical evaluation and certification by EdTech Impact and Education Alliance Finland;
• Bespoke market research support by Injini’s team of education innovation researchers;
• “Sponsored Skills” to swiftly address team needs, produce targeted outputs, and strengthen overall capacity for long-term business success with the help of external consultants;
• Networking, knowledge-sharing, and learning opportunities with key ecosystem players and industry experts;
• Access to a selection of courses, in addition to office hours from the Human-Computer Interaction Institute faculty members at Carnegie Mellon University – a global leader in education technology and applied learning sciences;
• Contributing to a growing body of evidence documenting “what works” in African EdTech; and
• Equity-free venture funding of over R1,000,000.

(Note: All costs related to traveling to and from Cape Town for those residing elsewhere in South Africa will be covered by Injini for one person per company.)

Requirements for Injini/Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship Program:

The typical participating EdTech company in the EdTech Fellowship Program should:

• Address a substantial market opportunity, with a focus on South Africa;
• Have a tech-enabled solution designed to increase access and improve educational outcomes in South Africa, preferably supporting learners in pre-primary education (ages 0-5), primary and secondary education (ages 5-18), and/or teacher training and professional development;
• Be a post-revenue, growth-stage startup (annual revenue likely exceeding R1,000,000). If the applicant is a non-profit entity, grant funding constitutes annual revenue;
• Have the potential to reach 8,000 direct learners within one year of program participation;
• Be led by a diverse team with a strong understanding of the context in which they operate – with a special emphasis on supporting inspiring female founders and leadership teams.

Selection Process:

Pre-Acceleration: Late Mar – Apr 2024

• Selection of Cohort – Injini and partners will finalize the shortlisting and announce the 12 selected EdTech Fellows at a public kick-off event on 11 April 2024.
• Program Onboarding – Immediately following the Kick-Off Event, the Fellows will be onboarded to the program, in person in Cape Town, on 12 April 2024.
• Needs Assessment and milestone setting for the acceleration period.
• Introductions to and support from Education Alliance Finland and Carnegie Mellon University.

How to Apply:

Interested and qualified candidates can apply through Injini’s application form. For more details, visit Injini’s website.