Grace Ashiru
I’M IN, a program for aspiring entrepreneurs, has announced the start of its Ideation Incubator, a three-month program for women students with new ideas for tech start-ups.
The program’s goal is to give eligible women students an equity-free investment of R50,000 and help in the form of participation stipends, the cost of data and laptops, training in business skills, and access to the I’M IN ecosystem. You can complete an application for the program on the I’M IN website until Friday, May 12, 2023.
We’re looking for new and interesting ideas for technology in all fields. I’M IN program lead Palesa Tabai said, “More importantly, we want to work with Black women students who are excited to use technology to solve real problems in their communities and share our mission-driven approach.”
The program is only open to women students from seven schools in Gauteng. These schools are the University of Johannesburg (Soweto campus), Tshwane University of Technology, Vaal University of Technology, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Richfield Graduate Institute of Technology, Wethinkcode, and Girl Code.
The program aims to get more people in underrepresented groups to use technology by giving them mentorship, advice, and a clear plan for getting funding.
It gives women students a special chance to find ways to solve problems in their communities and contribute to the African tech ecosystem.
Kevin Latter, J.P. Morgan’s senior country officer for Sub-Saharan Africa, said, “Owning a business is an important way to build wealth worldwide, but there isn’t equal access to the critical resources companies need to grow and spread. J.P. Morgan is happy to support I’M IN’s Ideation Incubator program to help underserved women entrepreneurs in South Africa get better access to mentorship, capital, and other helpful tools. This will help close the gap between their needs and what they get.
The first group of ideas to go through the Ideation Incubator will have 30 start-up plans. Black women students with ideas for technology can apply for the program by going to http://www.imin.business and filling out a short form by May 12, 2023. Those who want to join can also email [email protected] with any questions.
I’M IN’s main goal is to help early-stage technology start-ups become commercially sustainable by giving them pre-seed investments, effective business and technical support, and effective business and technical support.
The program was originally aimed at businesses with a validated Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and a proven product-market fit. In 2021, an all-women pre-accelerator pilot was started to help women entrepreneurs move from ideation to Proof of Concept (POC) or MVP.
Four women tech companies were able to get to MVP with the help of the pilot. Lulaloop, cARscan, Zulzi, Droppa, BrandBook, Fixxr, and Lightbulb Education are all companies that have done well in I’M IN events in the past.
