How Venture for Africa Works (Fellows)
Whether you’re looking for your next challenge or planning a major career move, becoming a Venture for Africa fellow gives you a unique opportunity to gain startup experience and local industry knowledge while creating meaningful impact at a leading startup in Africa.
Venture for Africa (VFA) is a fellowship program designed to immerse top local and global talent in the African startup ecosystem. We enable experienced talent who might be new to the startup space or a particular market, to soft-land and gain context while working with a startup that’s hiring now.
Why VFA?
Our goal is to provide talent with a landing pad in the African startup ecosystem, exposing them to local market nuances, offering expert-led training that is specific to key roles and introducing them to leading startups that are looking to hire right now.
Exceptional talent from across Africa and the diaspora are looking to break into the tech startup landscape but often find it difficult to understand the market, learn about opportunities available, make connections and apply their skills in this context.
Meanwhile, fast-growing tech startups struggle to find experienced, plug-and-play talent that meets their needs, share their ambitions and can play a pivotal role in helping their companies grow. Venture for Africa brings these two groups together.
VFA was created by a team of former colleagues in the African tech startup space who have seen this challenge first-hand. Our goal is to provide talent with a landing pad in the African startup ecosystem, exposing them to local market nuances, offering expert-led training that is specific to key roles and introducing them to leading startups that are looking to hire right now.
How does it work?
Venture for Africa offers an immersive 3-month experience during which fellows will work on real and impactful projects assigned by high-growth startups in Sub-Saharan Africa while improving their skills and gaining valuable in-market experience.
What is the application process?
- Week 1: After applying on the website, candidates who meet the requirements are scheduled for an initial phone interview.
- Week 3: Candidates who have been interviewed are informed of whether they’ve been shortlisted and their profiles are then recommended to any of our startup partners for a second, more in-depth interview.
- Week 6: Successful applicants are offered a spot in the VFA cohort, assigned to the relevant startup team, and given a fellow agreement for signing.
What is the onboarding process?
Once a fellow accepts the offer, they are taken through a brief onboarding process. This process includes a kick-off meeting with the VFA team, during which they hear more about the program, ask any questions, and gain access to the VFA Slack workspace where they can introduce themselves to the rest of the cohort, interact with alumni, and view other helpful resources designed to ease their transition.
How does mentorship work?
Fellows are assigned mentors based on their career goals and experience. They work with fellows to ensure they are ready to take on the fellowship head-on. VFA mentors come with a vast understanding of the role or industries that fellows have been placed in and generally act as sounding boards and guides on their journey in exploring a career path with startups in Africa.
How are workshops conducted?
Our workshops are designed to help fellows understand market intricacies, best practices in their particular focus areas and perspectives for making the most of their time on the program.
An industry expert leads each workshop, and the format is typically a 30–45 minute session held on Google Hangouts, with opportunities for fellows to ask any questions.
One of the objectives we set out for each cohort is to connect them with incredible people who can help them contextualise their skills for work within startups, as well as expand their networks in the ecosystem. The VFA workshops are one channel through which this is accomplished.
How do stipends work?
VFA fellows get paid for the work they do with our partners during the duration of the program. The stipend is an average of US$1000, paid at the end of each month of work.
Any opportunities for full-time roles?
While full-time roles are not guaranteed at the end of the program, fellows interested in joining their assigned startup more long term are fast-tracked through ordinary application processes to interview for these opportunities.
