The Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) has opened applications for the second edition of the MEST AI Startup Program, a fully-funded, immersive experience designed to equip Africa’s most promising AI entrepreneurs with the technical, business, product, and leadership skills to build and scale globally competitive AI startups.
Over a seven-month training phase, the MEST AI Startup program will provide founders with hands-on instruction, technical mentorship, and business coaching from global experts to develop AI-powered solutions. The top startups will then advance to a four-month incubation period to refine products, sharpen go-to-market strategies, and secure market traction. At the end of incubation, startups have the opportunity to pitch for pre-seed investment of up to $100,000 and join the MEST Portfolio.
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The inaugural cohort brought together founders from seven African countries who are already building transformative AI solutions across industries. Building on the momentum of the first edition, the 2027 intake reflects MEST Africa’s continued commitment to ensuring African entrepreneurs play a defining role in the future of artificial intelligence.
According to Emily Fiagbedzi, AI Startup Program Director, the urgency of investing in African AI talent has never been greater.
“AI technology is advancing at an extraordinary pace, and meaningful participation in the global AI economy requires more than access to tools, it requires the ability to build,” she said. “This program is designed to help talented African founders develop solutions to real challenges while positioning them to compete globally. We are excited to support the next generation of African AI founders through training delivered by some of the most knowledgeable experts in the industry from organizations including OpenAI, Perplexity, Google, and Meltwater”
For the 2027 intake, the program is open to African founders based in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and Kenya aged 21–35 with software development experience who want to start their own AI startup.
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