The Jasiri Talent Investor Programme (Cohort 9) for young East African Entrepreneurs (Fully Funded)

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Application Deadline: October 12, 2026

Applications are now open for the Jasiri Talent Investor Programme. Jasiri Talent Investor is a 13-month program that backs battle-tested African talent before the venture exists, betting on the individual pre-idea, pre-team, pre-venture, and providing founder-friendly capital, infrastructure, and guidance from venture formation to market validation.

Joining Cohort 9 means committing to build in food systems. That does not mean you need a background in it. Engineers, operators, scientists, financiers, marketers, etc — all build food systems ventures. Sector knowledge can be learned. What matters is that you are driven, good at what you do, and ready to pursue a problem worth solving in food systems.

Requirements

You are:

• A Kenyan, Rwandan or Ethiopian citizen, at home or in the diaspora.
• Ready to pursue entrepreneurship full-time as a career.
• Able to relocate to Kigali for the three-month Residential Intensive.
• Committed to building a new venture in food systems.
• Eager to co-found from scratch with equally ambitious peers.
• Open-minded: ready to validate your idea and pivot it if the evidence says so.

You bring:

• Depth in your field. Years of hands-on work, for instance, in software, hardware, science, data, finance, operations or sales, with real work to show for it, not just credentials.
• Proof you have built before. A business, a side venture, a hustle. You have sold to customers and put your own time and money on the line.
• A record of achievement. A problem solver and value creator wherever you have focused your attention.
• Your strongest edge. You might be deeply technical or strongly commercial. Ventures need both.

The 13-Months Journey

Jasiri Jumpstart: From 18 Jan 2027 Online, 1 month

Discover your WHY, your entrepreneurial edge, and fall in love with the problem.

Residential Intensive: 17 Feb – 23 May 2027 , Rwanda

Team formation, problem and opportunity identification, customer and product development.

Venture Creation: Up to 9 months

Launch in Rwanda, Kenya or Ethiopia.

Benefits

Jasiri Jumpstart

Online, 1 month

USD 30 communication support.

Residential Intensive

3 months, Kigali, fully covered

Living support

USD 250 per month for 3 months.

Fully covered residence

Travel to and from Rwanda, accommodation, meals, transport and health insurance.

Market Validation funds

Up to USD 3,000 per team for prototyping and testing once you reach the validation stage.

Venture Creation

Up to 9 months – Kenya, Rwanda or Ethiopia

Venture creation grant

USD 28,000 per venture, disbursed in three milestone-gated tranches as your venture hits its milestones.

Experts and venture builders

Hands-on venture builders, coaches and vetted experts.

Partner value and credits

Partner value (AWS, Notion, Perplexity, HubSpot) and shared workspaces in Kigali, Nairobi and Addis Ababa.

Selection Process

Selection process.

Stage 1

Application form

Present your entrepreneurial experience, technical skillset, strengths, and track record.Stage 2

Entrepreneurial Intentions (EI)

Complete an assessment of your founding intent and readiness to build.Stage 3

Psychometrics and video

Upload a short video on “Why Jasiri, and why now” and complete the psychometric assessment.Stage 4

Selection Conference

If you make it through, join a live assessment, working in groups to tackle challenges and casework alongside other top candidates.Stage 5

Interviews

Join an open conversation about your evidence and entrepreneurial history.Stage 6

Offer

If selected, you will receive an offer to join Cohort 9, with the programme beginning with Jasiri Jumpstart in January 2027.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Jasiri Talent Investor Programme