🚨Key Deadlines: Orange Corners Nigeria Incubation and Startupbootcamp.

AuthorAuthor

Jennifer Daniel & Precious Adeyinka
November 10, 2025

Hello Innovators! ðŸ‘‹

Precious here from SASIE, your partner in tech entrepreneurship.

Happy new month! This week is full of late-year opportunities, ranging from a highly selective accelerator, Startupbootcamp, to a global grant for STEM inclusion and focused funding toward young African entrepreneurs and women in AI.

Key Deadlines This Month: Pay close attention to the opportunities closing on December 1st, inclusive of the new FREE STEM Fund, and those closing around December 7th, inclusive of Orange Corners Nigeria Incubation and Startupbootcamp.

Don't just scroll, click and apply!

  • The Dove Foundation 2025 Poetry Prize: Empowering Young Women to Share Their Voices

  • Women in Digital Business at 1 Million AfCFTA Impact Hub

  • Orange Corners Nigeria Incubation Programme Cohort 14

  • Startupbootcamp 2025 Accelerators – Scale Your Startup Beyond Limits

  • Digital and Green Innovation Acceleration Programme

  • Technovation/Generation Unlimited AI Ventures Accelerator

The Dove Foundation 2025 Poetry Prize: Empowering Young Women to Share Their Voices

Calling African Women Entrepreneurs: Apply to win up to $300,000!

An annual international poetry competition for young women, the theme for 2025 is "Time." The prize is organised by The Dove Foundation for Global Change in celebration of the creativity, resilience, and unique perspectives of girls across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, through a global storytelling and creative expression platform.

What You'll Receive

  • Cash Prizes:

    1st Place: £500

    2nd Place: £250

    3rd Place: £100

  • Mentorship: The top three winners will be given personalized mentorship by professionals for 6 to 12 months to help them further hone their writing skills.

  • International Recognition: Up to 12 commended poems will be published on The Dove Foundation website and included in future digital/print anthologies.

Who Can Apply?

  • Open to girls aged 13–21.

  • Must be citizens or residents of one of the 34 eligible countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, India, and many more.

  • Poems should be original, unpublished, and written primarily in English. Entries should focus on the theme: "Time" - reflecting on growth, memory, and transformation. Each participant can submit a maximum of three poems. Application

Deadline: December 1, 2025

Women in Digital Business at 1 Million AfCFTA Impact Hub

The WiDB program is a structured entrepreneurial innovation initiative fully funded by Microsoft Philanthropies and delivered by PABL Solutions LTD/1 Million AfCFTA Impact Hub in partnership with ITCILO. It aims to equip women-led ventures across Africa with the ability to transition from manual, invisible operations to competitive, digital, and scalable business models, leveraging the tools of the AfCFTA digital marketplace. The program will involve self-paced online courseware, technical assistance, and mentorship over a three-week core period.

What You'll Receive

  • Fully Funded: This program is fully funded by Microsoft Philanthropies.

  • Structured Digital Training: A three-week program on online presence, e-commerce, digital selling, and operational adaptation.

  • Personalized Digital Roadmap: Guidance on creating a focused roadmap for the digital transformation of your business.

  • Technical Assistance & Mentorship: Practical support from experienced experts.

  • E-commerce integration includes digital payment systems, delivery logistics, and online customer service tools.

  • Certification: Certification by the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITCILO) upon completion of the core course.

  • Community: Become part of an active network of African entrepreneurs, thus supporting one another.

Who Can Apply?

  • Be a woman 18–60 years of age.

  • Be African and resident in one of the 55 countries that make up Africa.

  • Have a registered business with products or services currently available on the market - evidence of traction required.

  • Be fluent in English. Be computer literate and own a personal computer or smartphone with regular internet access.

Orange Corners Nigeria Incubation Programme Cohort 14

It is a 6-month intensive incubation program by the FATE Foundation, supported by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, that seeks to support young Nigerian entrepreneurs in turning innovative ideas into sustainable and successful businesses. The program focuses on business skills, mentorship, and financial access.

What You'll Get

  • Funding Support: Access up to €30,000 EUR for prototype development and testing.

  • Enterprise Management Training: Learn the fundamentals of business through interactive workshops on strategy, finance, and marketing.

  • Business Incubation & Advisory: get customized mentorship and support in scaling up your venture, including industry visits.

  • Mentorship & Networking: Learn from experienced entrepreneurs, connect with local and international markets.

Who Can Apply?

  • Must be a Nigerian citizen aged 18–35.

  • Must have an innovative business idea or an existing venture less than two years old.

  • The focus areas include Agriculture, Technology, Health, Circular Economy, and Manufacturing.

  • Must be a resident in Nigeria and able to commit fully to participation in either the Lagos or Ogun stream.

Deadline December 7, 2025

Startupbootcamp 2025 Accelerators – Scale Your Startup Beyond Limits

A highly competitive global network of industry-focused accelerators aimed at assisting early-stage and growth-stage startups in scaling internationally. The programs are intense, whereby founders achieve in 3 months what it would have taken 2 years through access to funding, high-level corporate partnerships, and a vast global network. Programs are open across various sectors, which range from FinTech to Energy & Climate, Food & AgriTech, and Health & Life Sciences.

What You'll Get

  • Global Expansion Made Easy: Access to resources for international growth, including strategic introductions and global offices.

  • Funding & Investor Access: Seed investment opportunities and curated introductions to VCs and relevant industry investors.

  • Mentorship: Coaching from more than 5,000 experts from leading organizations of the world.

  • Corporate Partnerships: Strategic introductions to top corporations relevant to your industry, such as Energy, Food, and Health.

  • Global Alumni Network: The network that provides access to over 1,000 alumni in more than 20 countries.

Who Can Apply?

  • Must be an early-stage startup or a growth-stage venture.

  • Must be legally registered in their country.

  • Projects must be focused on innovation within a relevant industry: Energy, Climate, Food, Health, or general tech.

  • Must demonstrate a commitment to global scalability and market impact.

Deadline December 7, 2025

Digital and Green Innovation Acceleration Programme

Empowering East Africa's Green Future: Digital and Green Innovation Acceleration Programme

The structured acceleration program is targeted at early-stage, for-profit startups in Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia using digital technology to drive environmental sustainability, climate resilience, and circular innovation. Co-funded by Team Europe partners and the European Commission, the program provides acceleration support, expert mentorship, and international visibility.

What You'll Get

  • Seed Funding: The top 3 startups will share the €15,000 EUR grant at the end of the program.

  • Acceleration & Mentorship: Practical business acceleration and expert mentorship from African and European industry leaders.

  • Investor Readiness: Pitching and fundraising strategy support, including introductions to potential investors.

  • International Exposure:

    3–6 startups will be supported to attend Latitude59 Nairobi, on Dec 3–5, 2025.

    3 startups will be sponsored to attend Latitude59 Estonia (May 2026).

  • Focus Areas of High Impact: The program supports solutions in climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy, circular economy, waste management, and green finance.

Who Can Apply?

  • Must be an early-stage for-profit startup (MVP or early-revenue stage).

  • Must be registered and operational in Kenya, Uganda, or Ethiopia.

  • Must be developing digital or tech-driven solutions for environmental sustainability or climate adaptation.

  • Must be led by at least two active co-founders. Preference is given to youth- and women-led startups.

Deadline: November 10, 2025

Technovation/Generation Unlimited AI Ventures Accelerator

A free, 12-week intensive accelerator for teams of young women that works to fast-track them from an idea through to an investor-ready AI venture. In partnership with Generation Unlimited, the program brings hands-on AI education, entrepreneurship training, and human-centred design together into the development and scaling of tech-enabled solutions for real-world problems.

What You'll Receive

  • Equity-Free Seed Funding: The top ten teams will each receive $10,000 USD. Total: $100,000 in non-equity seed funding.

  • Comprehensive Training: 12 weeks of training in AI fundamentals, entrepreneurship, and human-centred design.

  • Mentorship: Personalized mentorship by global AI and startup experts.

  • Pitch Readiness: Coaching to create an investor-ready business pitch.

  • Post-Program Support: Top 25 teams receive additional incubation support to secure future venture capital.

  • Zero Cost: Everything about the program, including the curriculum, mentorship, tools, and resources, is absolutely free.

Deadline: November 30, 2025

ICYMI

Thank you for your continued interest in our work. To partner with us on any of our reports or newsletter sponsorships, please reply to this email.

  • Did you find our weekly insights helpful? Please help spread the word by forwarding them to a few friends or colleagues who could benefit.

  • Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.

  • Contact us at [email protected] for partnerships or for an opportunity to have your brand associated with any of our newsletters. We can also jump on a call to understand your need(s).