About the Westerwelle Entrepreneurship Programme East Africa
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.
“Previously, the programme prioritized investment readiness. Now, considering Africa’s market challenges, our East African programme is honed on scaling beyond borders, attracting more investors, and boosting business growth.”
– Sarah Rukundo, Country Director for Rwanda
Programme Benefits
Free Access
6 months free access to workspace
Makerspace
Access to Makerspace / Digital fabrication lab and product development support
Training
Business and leadership skills training with specialized experts
Technical Advisory
Technical advisory support: legal, financial and digital marketing
Mentoring
Individual mentoring with investors, business leaders and industry experts
Meetups
Online/offline meetups with peers and entrepreneural communities around the world
Linkages
East Africa corporate linkages
Results
30
startups supported
83
jobs created
$ 3.5M
revenue raised
*Results from the previous programme in 2022
Programme Donors
We sincerely thank GIZ and MAKE-IT in Africa for their vital support in empowering Westerwelle Startup Haus through the programme, driving innovation and economic growth in Rwanda and Tanzania.
