Applications are now open for the Get Ready 4 Timbuktoo EdTech pan-African incubation programme, offered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as part of its timbuktoo initiative, a continent-wide effort to support innovation and entrepreneurship.
This fully online, three-month programme is designed to help EdTech startups refine their solutions, improve product performance, strengthen business models and prepare for investment and regional expansion.
Benefits of Participation
The programme supports up to 50 African-based EdTech ventures that already have a working or testable prototype and are addressing a clear educational challenge such as access to quality learning, inclusion, employability or teaching methods.
Participating startups will benefit from:
- A diagnostic assessment covering product, market fit, traction and impact, used to shape a tailored support path.
- Expert-led online learning modules that cover areas including growth strategy, fundraising readiness, product development and learning sciences.
- Weekly mentoring sessions with experienced EdTech founders, product and AI specialists, and education experts.
- Financial support opportunities, such as grants for prototyping and user testing, subject to meeting key deliverables.
- Connection to the wider timbuktoo network, offering visibility with investors, innovation hubs and continental partners.
Eligibility for Participation
- Be based anywhere in Africa
- Have a testable prototype or product addressing an educational issue.
- Be ready to commit approximately six to eight hours per week over the three-month period.
UNDP encourages applications from women-led startups, ventures from rural or underserved regions, and teams that incorporate local languages or accessibility features into their EdTech solutions.
How to Apply
Applications should be submitted on or before Wednesday, February 18, 2026. Interested founders can visit the Timbuktoo EdTech online application site to complete and submit their details ahead of the deadline.
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