Techstars Founder Catalyst Botswana

Overview

Techstars Founder Catalyst Botswana is a pre-accelerator program designed to assist early-stage founders in refining their ideas, scaling their businesses, and achieving funding readiness. The program offers a 10-week hybrid experience that combines online masterclasses, mentorship, and in-person events in Gaborone, Botswana. Participants gain access to the global Techstars network, which includes entrepreneurs, mentors, investors, and partners, providing valuable resources to accelerate their ventures. The program is tailored for startups that have been in operation for less than two years, have raised less than $500,000, and have developed their first Minimum Viable Product (MVP). It focuses on preparing founders to raise funding or apply to an accelerator by helping them refine their pitch, business model, and understanding of investor expectations. Notably, there is no equity exchange involved in the Founder Catalyst program. Techstars Founder Catalyst Botswana is part of the broader Techstars Startup Community Catalyst Africa initiative, launched in partnership with Merce Anders Equity Group. This collaboration aims to foster innovation and entrepreneurship across Southern Africa by providing a series of pre-accelerator and startup education programs, including Techstars Founder Catalyst, Techstars Community Development Lab, and Techstars Startup Weekends. The initiative seeks to unlock the full potential of entrepreneurs in Botswana and neighboring countries, enabling them to create transformative solutions locally and globally.

Investment Focus

• Early-stage startups with less than two years of operation
• Less than $500,000 raised
• Developed first MVP
• No equity exchange involved