The Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) Africa has officially opened applications for its newly evolved Training Program, the MEST AI Startup Program. This bold redesign of MEST’s flagship Training Program is built to prepare Africa’s most promising tech talents to build, launch, and scale world-class AI startups.
For over 17 years, MEST has trained and supported software entrepreneurs across Africa, contributing to the continent’s innovation economy. Now, as artificial intelligence transforms industries at a very rapid pace, MEST is positioning Africa’s tech entrepreneurs at the forefront of this shift.
“Africa has world-class tech talent, and it’s time AI solutions built on the continent reach users everywhere,” Emily Fiagbedzi, Director of the MEST AI Startup Program, said in a press statement. “MEST is proud to contribute to this reality through our training and incubation program that equips talent from across Africa with training and mentoring from international experts for the development of globally relevant AI Software.”
The MEST AI Startup Program is a fully-funded, immersive experience hosted in Accra, Ghana that equips Africa’s most promising AI entrepreneurs with the technical, business, and leadership skills to build and scale globally competitive startups. Over an intensive seven-month training phase, founders will receive hands-on instruction, technical mentorship, and business coaching from global experts while developing AI-powered solutions to real-world challenges.
The top ventures then advance to a four-month incubation period, where they refine their products, secure market traction, and sharpen their go-to-market strategies. At the end of incubation, startups have an opportunity to pitch for pre-seed investment of up to US$100,000 (approx. UGX357.7 million) and join the MEST Portfolio.
“Mastering AI and the advanced AI tools available today is a must for any entrepreneur, and further levelling the playing field. The world has never been flatter,” said MEST Founder Jorn Lyseggen. “We are proud and excited to announce that the next batch of MEST entrepreneurs will be trained by some of the most knowledgeable people in the industry from companies such as OpenAI, Perplexity, Google, and Meltwater.”
For the 2026 intake, the program is open to African founders based in West Africa, aged 21 – 30 with software development experience, who want to start their own AI startups.
