About the program
10 to 12 million young Africans enter the labor market each year and an estimated one-third of the 600 million young people entering the global labor market by 2030 will be a young African.
Village Capital in partnership with Moody’s Corporation aims to support entrepreneurs across Africa that are building for-profit, market-based solutions in education, employment, and benefits that could help young people in sub-Saharan Africa, better prepare for the future of work, access more and better employment opportunities, and build careers.
Future of Work 2022 is looking to support 45 startups across the region with investment readiness training through: a core cohort of 10-12 startups, and an expanded cohort of 33-35 startups featuring self-guided training, extensive virtual support and engagement with mentors.
A decade of startup support in Africa
Since 2009, we have supported 1,200+ early-stage entrepreneurs through our accelerators, and invested in 100+ accelerator graduates, including startups in Sub-Saharan Africa startups working on the future of work.
Meet Cohort 1
Meet Cohort 2
Eligibility
Ventures must address unemployment through the following:
Technical, professional, upskilling or reskilling programs
Testing and credentialing programs
New approaches to apprenticeship or employment matching such as gig, job matching and distributed manufacturing platforms
Financial health for informal workers, and/or
Edtech for post-secondary and tertiary institutions
Benefits startups will receive:
Connections
Build deep connections with the other impact-driven founders in your cohort
Mentorship
Network with mentors ranging from investors to potential strategic partners and customers
Training
Join interactive sessions tailored to help your company identify early milestones and prepare for your next round of capital
Advice
Chat with an investment analyst who will coach you 1:1 on building a financial model, identifying unit economics, and using financial metrics
Exposure
Get featured on Village Capital’s program website and other collateral
Program Timeline
Applications Open
2022 - Mar 31
Cohort Confirmed
2022 - Jul 29
Cohort workshops
2022 - Aug - Oct
Learn more about mentoring with Village Capital