Anzisha Venture Building Fellowship 2027

Overview The Anzisha Venture Building Fellowship is a multi-year venture-development programme for young African founders who are already running businesses or projects. It is intended to help fellows strengthen their ventures, build reliable systems, increase revenue and create jobs. Support and benefits Fellows receive structured digital learning, personalised coaching and practical venture-building support. The programme includes milestone-based cash stipends linked to business progress, financial-readiness support and help preparing investor-ready materials. Fellows also take part in experiential learning with established entrepreneurs and join a peer community of nearly 300 young entrepreneurs across Africa. At the end of the second year, fellows pitch their ventures and compete for a share of a USD 40,000 prize pool. The four award categories are Job Creation, Revenue Growth, Storytelling and Systems of Delivery. Who the programme is for The fellowship is for African founders aged 15 to 22 who have already launched an operating business or project and are actively leading it. Applicants should be spending at least 20 hours each week on the venture and must have a valid national identity document or passport. Application process and timeline Applications for the 2027 intake opened on 29 September 2026 and are free. Applicants submit through the official Anzisha application portal and should use the organiser's application guide to prepare the required information, documents and images. Applications are evaluated from November 2026 to March 2027, with fellows due to be announced in May 2027. Applications close on 10 November 2026. The organiser does not state a closing time or timezone, so applicants should submit early. Important eligibility note Applicants must be founding members of the ventures they submit. The programme does not accept people who only have an idea and have not started a business or project.

Applicants must: • be 15 to 22 years old; • be citizens of an African country; • hold a valid national ID or passport; • be founding members of the business or project they submit; • already have an operating venture, not only an idea; • actively lead the venture; and • spend at least 20 hours per week working on it.