Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST)
Established in Ghana in 2008, Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) offers aspiring African entrepreneurs a fully sponsored twelve month, intensive full-time program. Sourced from top graduates in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya & South Africa, these Entrepreneurs-In-Training (EITs) are selected each year and receive comprehensive training across the spectrum of skills required to build successful tech businesses, including computer programming, software development, product management, finance, marketing, sales and leadership best practices.
It was started by Jorn Lyseggen, founder and CEO of Meltwater, a software and service company. It has headquarters in San Francisco and has 50 offices, over 1 000 employees, and 24 000 corporate clients in six continents. Lyseggen’s dream is that by 2026, he will meet the first African tech billionaire who will have a positive impact on Africa and beyond by creating jobs and wealth.
After completion of the program, the EITs have the opportunity to pitch their business idea. Winning teams receive seed funding from the MEST, and move into one of the MEST run incubators’ located in Accra or Lagos (with Nairobi and Cape Town coming soon).
What MEST Offers
To ensure that EITs can focus completely on becoming world-class entrepreneurs, MEST provides the following to all Entrepreneurs-in-Training (EITs) who make it into MEST.
MEST offers a twelve-month, full-time, fully sponsored training program in which the students – known as Entrepreneurs-in-Training (EITs) – learn about software development and entrepreneurship from Senior Faculty, who each bring more than 20 years of experience in the software business in the United States, Europe, or Asia. EITs also benefit from working with professionals from around the world who serve as Teaching Fellows. The MEST program provides rigorous entrepreneurial training and extensive hands-on project work, designed so that EITs master industry-proven methodologies for software development. This coursework is supplemented by a series of guest lectures, featuring the experiences and insights of internationally-recognized executives and successful entrepreneurs.
The Package
- Full Scholarship: EITs receive a full scholarship to MEST’s renowned tech entrepreneurship training program. Tuition is covered by MEST & Interswitch, including residential permits and return flights to Ghana for non-Ghanaian EITs.
- Free Housing: EITs are housed at a student hostel for the duration of the twelve-month program.
- Three Meals a Day: Prepared and served by MEST’s on-campus catering staff.
- Monthly Stipend: MEST provides each EIT with a small monthly stipend for the duration of the twelve – month program.
Application Requirements
- Applicants must have a deep passion of starting a software company
- MUST have entrepreneurial and (or) corporate work experience
- Can commit a year in Accra, Ghana participating in the MEST training program starting September each year.
- Applicants must be from Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya or South Africa and must have a degree in ANY field from a University or Technical College
- A completely filled out application form
- Candidate’s profile photo and CV
- Applicants from Nigeria must have completed their NYSC
Required Qualities
- A desire to make a difference
- A strong interest in technology and software
- An entrepreneurial spirit
- Demonstrated personal drive, stamina, and self-motivation, as well as the ability to meet goals and deadlines
- Confidence and independent thinking
- Excellent people skills
- Strong interest in teamwork
- The ability to communicate candidly and persuasively
- Proven academic excellence
- All participants must provide submissions that the user has created him/herself
- All participants must provide personal information that is true and accurate
How to apply
The school is based in Ghana but South African candidates are invited to join the next bunch of MEST recruits (September 2017 Intake). Click here to apply online