Anzisha Venture Building Fellowship
0%; cash prizes and support · Africa · Checking status
Anzisha is a three-year venture-building fellowship for African entrepreneurs age fifteen to twenty-two. Applications for the 2026 intake closed November 28, 2025; the program distributes more than $140,000 annually in business support and performance-based cash awards, while individual amounts depend on job creation, revenue growth, storytelling, and systems/process performance.
Tier 2 · ranked #31africayouthfellowship
ApplyOfficial siteOpen in the live directory
Program intake
We are checking the program's authoritative source for the current application status.
Key facts
| Check size | $140k annual support/prize pool; individual awards vary |
| Terms | 0%; cash prizes and support |
| Stage | operating youth-led business |
| Applications | Checking status |
| Program dates | 3 years |
| Location | Africa |
| Remote friendly | Yes |
| Warm intro needed | No — open application |
| Sectors | generalist, impact |
| Status | closed |
Always confirm on the official page before applying — dates and terms change.
Background
Anzisha is a partnership of the Mastercard Foundation and African Leadership Academy. Its expanded model reached forty fellows per cohort, and by 2025 the network included 279 fellows whose ventures had created more than 5,000 jobs and raised $16.3 million, including $1.8 million in grants.
How the application really works
Wait for the next cycle, download its application guide, and submit for free. Selection tests founder age, African eligibility, an operating venture, initiative, and evidence of business activity.
Tips
- Read the cited current official page before applying because program dates and terms are volatile.
- State fit with the documented stage, geography, and attendance model; do not rely on an aggregator's old terms.
- Ask for the complete investment, fee, and follow-on documents when the public page does not publish them.
Watch out for
- Equity-free support and performance-based cash prizes from a $140k annual pool; individual amounts are not fixed at entry.
- Applications for the 2026 class closed November 28, 2025. Application is free; no next cutoff is published.
Track record
- By 2025 Anzisha reported 279 fellows, 5,000+ jobs, and $16.3M raised including $1.8M in grants.
Forty-fellow cohort model; current application count and acceptance rate are not published.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this program currently accepting applications?
- Wait for the next cycle, download its application guide, and submit for free. Selection tests founder age, African eligibility, an operating venture, initiative, and evidence of business activity.
- What are the current economics?
- Equity-free support and performance-based cash prizes from a $140k annual pool; individual amounts are not fixed at entry.
- How large and long is the program?
- Cohort model expanded to 40 fellows; three-year fellowship. Three years of coaching, performance tracking, courses, services, and category-based prizes.
- Can founders participate remotely?
- Pan-African participation with program activities; travel requirements vary by cycle.
- What happens after the program?
- Graduates join the Anzisha alumni network; prizes are performance-based and no automatic investment follows.
Related accelerators
Sources
- anzisha.org/apply — Current closed status, exact past cutoff, age/citizenship/business eligibility, free application, and selection timeline (checked 2026-08-10)
- anzisha.org/about-us — Official fellowship structure, cohort expansion, fellow count, jobs, prize/support model, and capital raised (checked 2026-08-10)