The Women in Tech Zambia Programme is proudly funded by Standard Chartered Bank ZambiaAbout Standard Chartered.

• The programme is implemented by BongoHive
• About BongoHive:  BongoHive is Zambia’s first technology and innovation hub. Established in May 2011 and based in Lusaka, the co-founders, all enthusiastic programmers, sought to address the gaps they experienced working within the local technology industry leading to a lack of coordination, skills exposure and productivity. BongoHive has evolved to assist scalable startups of any background by enhancing skills, accelerating growth, strengthening networks, increasing collaboration, providing a forum for ideas exchange and reducing the barriers to entrepreneurship. 

• The incubation period is 12 weeks for 10 successful applicants
• This will be followed by an acceleration phase providing 6 months of ongoing support to the Top 5 winners of the incubation period

• 3 months learning experience on business operations;
• Personalised mentorship for all participants and their business needs;
• Access to legal, accounting, financial planning and tech support;
• Access to networking opportunities with fellow successful applicants and industry experts;
• $10,000 equity grant seed funding for the top five finalists from the incubation programme to assist with implementation of tech in their businesses;
• 6 months ongoing support from Standard Chartered; BongoHive and a network of coaches and mentors to assist with go-to-market strategies and scaling-up for the top five finalists; and
• Opportunity to join BongoHive’s supportive Alumni Network.

• The business owner must be a female founder or co-founder over 18 years of age;

• The business must be founded or co-founded by a woman with an equal or majority stake;

• The business must be based and operating in Lusaka, Zambia and aligned with the needs of Zambians;

• The business must already have a technology-based or enabled business or a clear need to leverage technology to enable the business to grow;

• The business owner must be of Zambian nationality;

• The business must have been in operation for at least 3 months;

• The business owner may be seeking support for customer, product, and business model development;

• A maximum of 2 team members (preferably founders) must be able to attend a 3-month incubation programme from March to May 2021; and

• The top 5 winners of the incubation programme must be able to attend a 6-month acceleration programme from July to December 2021.