Deadline: May 20, 2026
Applications are open for the Carnegie Mellon University Africa Business Incubation Program 2026-2027. The Business Incubation Program is a 12-month opportunity focused on helping tech founders in Africa to succeed with their entrepreneurial ventures.
Startups entering the Business Incubation Program have a proof-of-concept prototype for their product and a preliminary market assessment. The goal is for startups to leave the program with a revenue generating product that is positioned to successfully compete for additional investment they will need to scale.
Benefits
- $50,000 USD in seed funding from CMU-Africa
- 12 months of targeted advisory support from experienced practitioners across product, growth, compliance, and investment to drive revenue, scale, and investor readiness.
- $5,000 in AWS credits and $1,500 in Amazon technical support
- Introductions to angel investors, VCs firms, and partners in Africa and Pittsburgh
- Opportunity to connect CMU-Africa’s partner ecosystem across Africa
- Connection to global entrepreneurship networks, including startups and industry partners at CMU’s Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship in Pittsburgh
Eligibility
Eligible startups must be less than two years old and meet the following at the time of application:
- Be building a scalable, tech-enabled solution addressing a clearly defined market opportunity across Africa
- Have a proof-of-concept prototype with early validation and a clear path to profitability, scalability, and inclusive impact
- Demonstrate strong market understanding and a credible business model
- Be led by at least two committed co-founders, able to dedicate full-time effort to the venture and program
- Be a registered company
They will not consider applications from startups with the following criteria:
- Marketplaces (E-commerce, middleman platforms)
- Late stage startups which have raised significant capital and earn consistent revenue
- Startups without potential to generate jobs
- Non-tech enabled startups
- Startups without functional prototypes
- Startups that have been through more than two similar programs in the past 12 months
Application
For more information, visit Business Incubation Program.
