Alexandra Connerty
1 min read
250STARTUPS
Sector: Sector-agnostic
We are an incubation and acceleration program that aims to foster technology startups through mechanisms such as mentorship, market research, business-model development and financial and legal support, among others.
250STARTUPS supports early-stage startups that utilize technology. Through a six-month program, the organization helps such companies become investment-ready and supports them as they expand. Each cohort is made up of ten startups with a maximum of two founders and two associates per team, making for a tightly knit group. The program begins with each team conducting market research and validating its product. The teams then develop the products and relevant documentation with the help of associates from legal and financial backgrounds. One-off sessions with guest experts on topics such as design thinking and investment readiness ensure that participants leave with the skills needed to succeed.
At the end of each month in the program, the participating startups present their progress to an audience of investors, partners and other members of the local startup ecosystem, and at the end of the program they get a chance to pitch their solutions to potential investors at a demo day. 250STARTUPS further nurtures the business community by actively recruiting experienced entrepreneurs to be mentors for program participants and by hosting regular events.
Graduates of the program include O’Genius Panda, an education platform with a scientific focus that is scaling up and entering the international scene, and Olado, a web application that provides a route to market for local products through ecommerce.
Checklist
Stay innovative and respond to market needs.
Founders who are able to adapt and apply agile thinking are ideal candidates.
Be scalable.
Ideally, Rwanda’s relatively small market can serve as a test of the product’s viability to launch in other countries.
Work well with others.
Be ready to collaborate or even bring others on board to build a strong team.
Ensure that you have a functional business model.
A business must be able to make revenue to survive, and founders must be ready to pivot, change or reshuffle should a plan not work.
Have a working prototype.
Founders are required to have a working prototype when applying to our program.
Have an innovative product that involves technology.
We’re sector-agnostic but require that the solution your business offers be tech-driven.
Application can be sent via
Main Photo by: 250STARTUPS
