For the first time ever, the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) Ghana has accepted entrepreneurs from South Africa to be trained in their facility for one year.
Previously, MEST accepted applications from Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya, however this year, they announced they were accepting applications from South Africa. Out of the thousands of applications (not to mention hundreds of interviews), 6 South African entrepreneurs emerged triumphant. They’ll be joining 15 Nigerians, 18 Ghanaians, and 16 Kenyans.
Word has it that it’s statistically more difficult to get into MEST than into Harvard, so that tells me recruitment must have been hell. According to MEST Managing Director, Katie Sarro, “While recruiting in the various cities (Accra, Lagos, Nairobi, Cape Town) over the course of the recruitment tour, we met a very diverse and talented group of individuals with desires and dreams to make positive impact on their communities and countries; and they want to do so by creating globally successful software companies”
MEST is a fully sponsored 12-month programme that trains entrepreneurs on the basics of building successful tech businesses. The last batch of Entrepreneurs-in-Training (EITs) graduated in July, and this new set of EITs will begin their training this month.
Over the next 12 months, the EITs will form teams, develop products, write business plans, and craft investor pitches. The best ideas will get between $50,000 to $250,000 in equity investment. These best teams will then become part of the MEST Incubator Program, where they’ll continue to get all the support they need.
