Venture for Africa announces a second fellowship cohort

Venture for Africa (VFA), a talent fellowship programme, announces that a second cohort is open for applicants. 

The programme aims to connect top local and global talent in the fields of product management, marketing, and growth with African startups. The second cohort is scheduled to launch in January 2021.

African startups hire talent through the VFA fellowship programme to accelerate business growth

The fellowship programme will take place over three months and combines local experience with expert mentorship. 

In an official press release, Tobi Lafinhan, Co-Founder of Venture for Africa, said that the success of the fellowships first cohort programme resulted in the creation of a second cohort.

“We saw incredible success with our first cohort, as each fellow came onboard with unique

experience, strong drive, and an ability to hit the ground running at their assigned startups. We were impressed with the diversity of experience we saw – from Olivia, who spent 20+ years in Kenya’s advertising industry, to Wanjiku who brought deep experience in analytics from her time in South Africa. We are extremely excited to kick off the search for our next cohort and look forward to meeting more quality talent that can contribute to our partners.”

The partnering companies that will be participating in the second cohort include Sokowatch, Carbon, Turaco, and Victory Farms. 

The second cohort

During the programme, Venture for Africa cohort participants are provided the opportunity to receive training and mentorship through workshops led by experienced experts. The training and mentorship are tailored to the talent’s specific roles, markets, and relevant industries. 

Once the programme is completed, local and global talent is sent through fast-tracked application processes to secure long-term roles within various participating African startups.

Candidates that are interested in the programme must have relevant work experience, and be graduate students. Applications will close once the positions of the roles are filled. Applicants who are not chosen for the required roles will have the opportunity to fill general roles in upcoming cohorts. 

Applications for Venture for Africa’s second cohort are open and can be accessed here.

Venture for Africa’s cohort programme

The programme is designed to bridge the talent gaps in Africa’s startup ecosystem by allowing top local and global talent to access opportunities at leading African startups. The aim of the programme is to drive economic growth and tech-driven innovations. 

Venture for Africa’s first cohort programme was launched in May 2020. The programme proved successful as over 300 applications were submitted from more than 30 countries. 

Within the first cohort, the programme targetted those seeking to explore the fields of product management, strategy, marketing, tech, and analytics within African startups. 

Five fellows were selected to fill the positions. Three of the five fellows were offered long-term roles in the startups they were assigned to, during the programme. 

Ann-Elise Francis, Head of Growth at Turaco, explains that the first cohort hosted by Venture for Africa benefited the startup and accelerated growth.

“This was a great experience to get a highly-skilled professional to join our team for 3 months. VFA did the heavy lifting in understanding Turaco’s needs and who might fit with our culture. Without Olivia’s expertise and guidance we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what we did, at least not in 3 months.”

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Featured image: Supplied