Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Develop entrepreneurship education and business opportunities to foster a startup technology culture and ecosystem across Africa

The innovation & entrepreneurship pillar is a commitment to foster entrepreneurship education in higher learning institutions and create opportunities for entrepreneurs and innovators to launch and grow their enterprises. This is to be achieved through entrepreneurship courses, programs, startup incubators, accelerators and funding opportunities. The pillar aims to nurture a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in technology by encouraging collaboration between technology institutions across Africa, building a supportive startup ecosystem in the continent.

Objectives

Ensure students and staff get started on their entrepreneurial journeys
Support early stage entrepreneurs
Raise awareness of entrepreneurship and innovation among the university community
Build digital capacity among students

Call for Startups

Are you a dynamic startup operating in Kenya, eager to grow and make a positive impact? We are excited to announce an internship opportunity that could benefit both your organization and aspiring students looking to gain valuable experience in the field of ICT.

Digital skills play a pivotal role in the success of MSMEs in today’s business landscape. However, many MSMEs lack access to advanced digital skills, hindering their growth and innovation. Our program – Tech skills marketplace – in partnership with AFRETEC (African Engineering and Technology Network), connects startups with graduate students and alumni for a three-month internship.

This call seeks innovative startups/ MSMEs with ICT – based projects looking to engage graduate students and alumni from science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields with advanced digital skills. While the MSME itself may not be tech-focused, the projects the interns will work on must be tech-focused.

Benefits for startups

Access to motivated and talented interns who can contribute to your projects and bring fresh perspectives.
Opportunities to mentor and develop future talent in the ICT field
Potential long term recruitment opportunities

Important Dates

Stage of the CallDate
Call openingApril 23, 2024
Call closureMay 15, 2024
Startup/ MSME SelectionMay 16 -23, 2024
Notification of selected Startups/MSMEMay 24, 2024
Posting of internship opportunitiesMay 27 – 31, 2024
Intern application and selection processJune
InternshipJuly – September 2024

Eligibility criteria for startups

Has been in operation for at least two years
Is registered and operational in Africa with a website or media presence
Has a well-defined ICT-based project relevant to a student’s career aspirations and well developed to allow both the student and the MSME to grow
Has a dedicated team member to supervise and mentor the intern
Able to co-fund 20% of the monthly internship cost (KES 15,000)
Ready to provide the intern with an internship contract that complies with the labor laws and clearly outlines the scope of work

Selection procedure and criteria

The evaluation and selection process are designed to be open, accountable, multi-step and based solely on the merit of the submitted applications. All the eligible startups will have the same opportunities.

Each eligible startup will be evaluated by a team composed by the UoN staff, AFRETEC staff and collaborators.

The evaluation process is planned to take place in May and June 2024, and selected startups are expected to host the intern from July 2024 to September 2024. However, the organizers reserve the right to change this timeline.

Startups obligations

Integrate in your team, talented students with excellent academic performance.
Have a well-defined tech need matching UoN’s student.
Understand that this is an educational experience and not a professional one. The participants are completing and enhancing their capacity, knowledge and skills.
Have a well-defined ICT project that is relevant to our student’s career aspirations and well developed to allow both the student and the startup to grow
Assign to the intern duties and responsibilities aligned with the objectives of the program and accordingly to the activity agreement.
Keep an effective communication with the intern and provide feedback about their work.
Able to co-fund 20% of the monthly internship cost (KES 15,000).
Appoint a dedicated team member to supervise and mentor the intern.
Communicating effectively with the UON Team and providing feedback about the intern evolution, at least in three specific occasions during the internship duration.
Ready to provide the UoN intern a three-month employment contract with a documented scope of work
Ready to participate in two post-internship program impact tracking surveys

Deadline: May 15, 2024

Apply

https://forms.gle/g3eVDdVtpV66u9rC8

For further inquiries, please contact fbarasa@uonbi.ac.ke , cc charles@c4dlab.ac.ke and samruhiu@uonbi.ac.ke

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