Do you have an edtech solution that can help boost education on the continent? Startups have until 28 August to apply to join Africa’s first specialist incubator programme for edtech, Injini.
Injini co-founder and joint owner Jamie Martin told Ventureburn that his Cape Town-based incubator is searching for startups that have an idea focused on education technology on the African continent. “They must be beyond idea stage, but can be pre-users, pre-revenue and or need help from us building their technology,” he added.
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Startups participating in Injini’s edtech six-month programme in Cape Town will get up to $40 000 in funding
The programme was founded by Martin — a former special adviser to the UK Secretary of state for education and Boston Consulting Group education specialist — together with the Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative (CiTi). This will be the incubator’s first cohort.
Eight startups will be incubated in the six-month programme’s first cohort and each of the participating startups will get up to $40 000 in direct funding.
“Startups will get their business registration, accounts, payroll and broader back office support covered. They will get help from education experts including teachers and academics as well as entrepreneurs to refine their proposition and develop their idea,” said Martin.
“They’ll then get technical support, such as a junior developer, to develop their product, which will be tested and refined in appropriate education settings to improve user experience. Finally, they will be given the relationships and expert help within education and with investors to scale their idea across the continent and raise further funding,” he said.
The programme will focus on four main streams, namely business set-up, edtech, scale up and post programme sustainability. Additionally, Martin said participants will benefit from three months of follow-on support and ongoing help raising funds and scaling beyond the programme.
“In return for the programme and funding, startups will give up between nine and 15% of equity on joining the programme. It will be a bespoke negotiation with each start up,” said Martin. “The equity we take leaves us long term invested in the idea,” he added.
Martin said the costs associated with edtech and issues around data affordability and connectivity will be the crucial areas of innovation for Injini.
“We hope to incubate ideas that lower the cost of effective education technology, and potentially tackle infrastructure problems like wifi connectivity, low cost devices, and low data education content,” he pointed out.
Read more: Jamie Martin on Edtech and the EdTech Open Innovation Cluster
Injini will announce the names of those startups selected for the first cohort in the second week of September.
Those interested in applying can do so here
Featured image: Jamie Martin co-founder of Injini (supplied)
