Entrepreneurship Support Programmes
Young Founders Programme
BERLIN, GERMANY
The Young Founders Programme is an entrepreneurship programme focused on accelerating startups from Latin America, Africa, and Asia. During the 6-month programme the startups get the chance to grow their businesses while interacting with their international mentors, matched buddies, gain practical knowledge from peers, and receive valuable resources from the expert sessions. 50 young founders from emerging markets shall be given the chance to expand their network and practical knowledge while simultaneously applying it in their fast-growing ventures.
WSH Kigali Entrepreneurship Programme
KIGALI, RWANDA
The 9-month acceleration programme accommodates 20 startups which have access to professional services, a vibrant community, and our unique Makerspace. Every startup gets boosted with the knowledge expansion by highly experienced experts and are given the opportunity to create corporate partnership with local and international partners. At the end of the programme, every founder is prepared to receive funding for their startups.
Westerwelle Entrepreneurship Programme: East Africa
RWANDA & TANZANIA
The Westerwelle Entrepreneurship Programme East Africa supports 30 digital and tech-enabled startups with high market potential in East Africa. The programme moves from past local focus to a more regional approach and provides six months of acceleration to 20 startups based in Kigali and Rwanda, as well as 10 startups based in Arusha, Tanzania. Among these startups, 20 are growth-stage and 10 are early-stage.
Ideate Rwanda
KIGALI, RWANDA
Ideate Rwanda is a programme for young social innovators. Starting with a hackathon for 80+ aspiring entrepreneurs and continuing with a 4-month capacity building programme for the top 10 teams, the goal of the programme is to support students and other young entrepreneurs in transitioning from an idea to a validated business. The programme is implemented in partnership with the US Embassy in Rwanda and focuses on solving social challenges.
SHEignites Greenprenuer Programme
KIGALI, RWANDA
The SHEignites programme focuses on increasing awareness of and empowering women working on solutions to combat climate change. This includes businesses in sectors such as sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, environmental conservation, and inclusive financial systems. The programme kicks off with a hackathon for 100+ women entrepreneurs, after which the top 15 teams are invited to join an 11-month incubation programme to launch their businesses. The programme is supported by the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs and Global Affairs Canada.
Tech Meets Farming
KIGALI, RWANDA
In partnership with Universcience our WSHK Makerspace introduced their first programme ‘Tech Meets Farming’ that will equip the participants with the necessary skills, tools, and expertise to leverage modern technology for better farming efficiency. The 2-month program has three stages: Seed Development, Sowing & Planting and Harvesting & Storage. Each stage will go through a series of 4 modules covering the use of theoretical knowledge, the use of equipment’s in the makerspace and practical application.
WSH Tunis Entrepreneurship Programme
TUNIS, TUNISIA
Tunisian fast-growing startups from different industries get the opportunity to expand their activities through our Entrepreneurship Programme. This acceleration programme is focused on creating connection with valuable partners while enlarging the practical knowledge and implementation of each startup. Highly experienced experts stand beside the founders to fine-tune their approach and tailor their offering to the needs. During the 6-month programme the founders get access to our vibrant community of international founders and partners and are fully immersed in the comfort of other entrepreneurs in the Startup Haus.
ImpACT’UP
TUNIS, TUNISIA
In coorperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, WSH Tunis has created a 6-month in-house incubation programme which incubates 10 entrepreneurs who shall design and build social ventures. The ventures get access to the entire Westerwelle Foundation eco-system to ideate, design, and shape their startup to impact their local communities. The startups are immersed in an exciting workplace at the WSH Tunis where they receive practical knowledge attuned to their needs, opportunity to network, and build and test their ideas fast during the bootcamp. These social ventures shall receive a great amount of exposure and recognition for their sustainability during our demo day.
Back2Growth
TUNIS, TUNISIA
Our Back2Growth programme focuses on empowering young social entrepreneurs in Tunisia. The 6-month programme is supported by the U.S. Embassy in Tunis and revolves around training, education, and volunteering. Programme participants are alumni of U.S. exchange programmes and the goal of the programme is to support them with the launch of their own social ventures.
ImpactHER
TUNIS, TUNISIA
With the goal of increasing gender equity in the area of entrepreneurship in North Africa, the ImpactHER programme is building a network of contacts and resources for Tunisian female founders. Programme activities are focused on expert workshops and mentorship from experienced women in the startup ecosystem, as well as connecting successful female founders locally and internationally. The programme is supported by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation.
DRILL Accelerator
ARUSHA, TANZANIA
DRILL Accelerator is a 6-month programme providing skills, tools, and capital for growth to 60 entrepreneurs in Tanzania and the Gambia. In addition to expert trainings, the programme offers support with microloans, unlocking essential access to funding. The programme is supported by AfriLabs and AFD France through the Digital Africa seed fund, and implemented by Westerwelle Startup Haus Arusha in Tanzania and the Disruptive Lab in Gambia.
DigiTrade Agriculture
ARUSHA, TANZANIA
The DigiTrade Agribusiness programme aims to democratize digital technology to empower young Tanzanian entrepreneurs to grow, specifically in the agriculture sector. This project addresses the lack of exposure and low digital skills for young agri-preneurs which limits resilience and ability to grow or expand their market. Young agri-preneurs are youth aged 18-35 years old working across the agricultural value chain, a large proportion being women. To address these challenges, DigiTrade Agribusiness ran a sensitisation campaign, digital skills training bootcamps and built a database of digital talents. The programme was incepted in 2021 and has been implemented by Westerwelle Startup Haus Arusha (formerly known as Obuntu Hub) in partnership with Smartcore Enterprise and Agriedo Hub, with funding from U.S. Embassy Dar es Salaam. The project has been carried out in two regions of Tanzania: Arusha and Iringa.
DigiTrade Tourism
ARUSHA, TANZANIA
The goal of the Digitrade Tourism programme is to enable growth and digitalization in the highly prevalent tourism sector of Tanzania by democratizing the access to digital tools for tourism entrepreneurs. This is done by supporting 60 entrepreneurs in Arusha and Zanzibar through trainings on they can use digital tools and technology to grow their businesses. The programme includes activities such as professional coaching, market readiness consultation clinics, and networking events, and is run in partnership with Smartcore Enterprise and Cube Zanzibar, with funding from U.S. Embassy Dar es Salaam.
DigiTalents
ARUSHA, TANZANIA
The DigiTalents programme is focused on equipping 50 professionals in the tech and creative sectors with digital and business skills. Programme participants range from software developers to videographers, graphic designers, copy writers and social media managers. The trainings of the programme are divided into general business trainings, as well as technical training focused on development, visual content creation, or social media management. In addition to the trainings, the programme offers professional coaching and market connections. The project is implemented by Westerwelle Startup Haus Arusha with funding from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation East Africa.
AfroGreen ClimAccelerator
ARUSHA, TANZANIA
While the world is looking for ways to mitigate climate change, it is essential to explore the multitude of possible solutions. In recognition of the gap in late-stage accelerators and female-focused climate programmes, the AfroGreen ClimAccelerator Programme is designed to empower women-led startups in the green sector. With a focus on sustainability and growth, this 9-month programme provides a unique opportunity for 10 selected startups to develop sustainable solutions and expand their market presence.
SHIELD Support Programme
TUNIS, TUNISIA
SHIELD (Startup Haus Integrity Entrepreneurship Leadership and Development Support Program) strengthens compliance, integrity, and transparency mechanisms within Tunisian startups and builds bridges between the public sector and startups. The goal of the programme is to elevate the Tunisian ecosystem, including public sector digitalization, by facilitating partnerships between selected startups and public sector institutions.
Invest4Growth Programme
TUNIS, TUNISIA
The INVESTMED project aims to address economic and environmental challenges by supporting new, sustainable business opportunities for your people and women. As part of this project, we launched the Invest4Growth accelerator to support 14 startups in three sectors: blue economy, green economy, as well as cultural and creative industries. The goal of the 9-month programme is to unlock sustainable growth opportunities for local businesses by providing capacity building, investment readiness, and market visibility.
Energy Network for Berlin & Africa (ENBA)
BERLIN, GERMANY
The Energy Network for Berlin & Africa bridges green energy innovation ecosystems. It offers Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and startups a comprehensive platform for exploration, learning, and growth. The 12-month program, co-funded by the Berlin Senate, catalyses market entry and business collaboration opportunities. It does so by advising and facilitating strategic partnerships between green energy businesses in Berlin and target countries across Africa.
