Injini Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship Program 2024 For High-Impact EdTech Companies: Apply Now

WHEN IS APPLICATION DEADLINE:

Closes: 13th February 2024
Top 25 online interviews: 26 February – 15 March 2024
Top 18 pitch live in Cape Town: 26 & 27 March 2024
Official Program Kick-Off Event: 11 April 2024

Tell Me About Injini Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship Program:

Injini’s EdTech Fellowship Program, delivered in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, is a 6-month, equity-free, hybrid venture support program that takes a partnership approach to business acceleration, broken down into three core focus areas which will be delivered from May through October 2024.

The EdTech Fellowship Program specifically focuses on the following three key objectives:

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

PROGRAM OUTLINE

Important to note that there will be overlap in the pillars of support outlined below, and not all key activities will necessarily take place sequentially. This is not an exhaustive list of all support interventions on offer, but rather a summary of the highlights most likely to be leveraged by the majority of supported companies.

PRE-ACCELERATION: LATE MAR – APR 2024

Selection of Cohort – Injini and partners will finalise the shortlisting and announce the 12 selected EdTech Fellows at a public kick-off event taking place 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

ACCELERATION PROGRAM: MAY – OCT 2024

Social Impact Measurement & Management

Developing or refining your Theory of Change with Injini MEL Head and team;
Appointment of external consultants to support in defining and implementing business-appropriate indicators, including indicators that track your educational outcomes;
Development of an Impact Narrative.

Market Access & Product Optimisation

Market research support from Injini’s dedicated research team;
Appointment of external consultants, or “Sponsored Skills,” to swiftly address team needs, produce targeted outputs, and strengthen Fellows’ overall capacity for long-term business success;
Product evaluations by EdTech Impact and Education Alliance Finland;
Office hours and access to online short courses from Carnegie Mellon University, looking at learning science, learning engineering, UX/UI and AIED.
Support from the Injini Marketing & Communications team in arranging public engagements (interviews, panel discussions and features);
Invitations to ecosystem events for knowledge exchange, founder connections, and access to experts

Financial Sustainability and Investment Readiness

Specialist support from Injini’s Venture Scale Lead and network of subject matter experts in finance, commerce and entrepreneurship;
1-on-1 investor mentorship sessions where Fellows will closely engage with aligned funders;
Pitch reviews, feedback and support;
EdTech Fellowship Program Demo Day, held during Injini’s annual South African EdTech Week

POST-PROGRAM SUPPORT AND ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT:

NOV 2024 – OCT 2026

Two years of light-touch support from Injini facilitating introductions and promoting collaboration across the ecosystem;
Ongoing M&E support and data collection to contribute to the body of evidence on efficacy in African EdTech;
Two additional grant funding disbursements (tied to ongoing reporting)

TYPE:

Entrepreneurship

Who Can Apply For Injini Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship Program?

The typical participating EdTech company in the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship Program fits the following profile:

Addresses a substantial market opportunity, with a focus on South Africa;
Has 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;
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;
Has the potential to reach 8,000 direct learners within one year of program participation
Led by a diverse team with a strong understanding of the context in which they operate – we’re especially excited to support inspiring female founders and leadership teams.

HOW MANY AWARDS?

Not specified

What Is The Benefit Of Injini Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship Program?

Each selected EdTech company, or “Fellow”, will receive Injini’s specialised acceleration support valued at over R2,500,000, in partnership with 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 your 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.