Jasiri Talent Investor Programme Cohort 9 for East African Entrepreneurs In Food System (Fully Funded)

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Applications are open for Jasiri Talent Investor Programme Cohort 9. Jasiri Talent Investor is a 13-month program that backs battle-tested African talent before the venture exists, betting on the individual pre-idea, pre-team, pre-venture, and providing founder-friendly capital, infrastructure, and guidance from venture formation to market validation.

Joining Cohort 9 means committing to build in food systems. That does not mean you need a background in it. Engineers, operators, scientists, financiers, marketers, etc — all build food systems ventures. Sector knowledge can be learned. What matters is that you are driven, good at what you do, and ready to pursue a problem worth solving in food systems.

Jasiri Talent Investor Programme Benefits

Jasiri Jumpstart
- Online, 1 month
- USD 30 communication support.
Residential Intensive
- 3 months, Kigali, fully covered
Living support
- USD 250 per month for 3 months.
Fully covered residence
- Travel to and from Rwanda, accommodation, meals, transport and health insurance.
Market Validation funds
- Up to USD 3,000 per team for prototyping and testing once you reach the validation stage.
Venture Creation
- Up to 9 months – Kenya, Rwanda or Ethiopia
Venture creation grant
- USD 28,000 per venture, disbursed in three milestone-gated tranches as your venture hits its milestones.
Experts and venture builders
- Hands-on venture builders, coaches and vetted experts.
Partner value and credits
- Partner value (AWS, Notion, Perplexity, HubSpot) and shared workspaces in Kigali, Nairobi and Addis Ababa.

Eligibility Criteria

You are:
- A Kenyan, Rwandan or Ethiopian citizen, at home or in the diaspora.
- Ready to pursue entrepreneurship full-time as a career.
- Able to relocate to Kigali for the three-month Residential Intensive.
- Committed to building a new venture in food systems.
- Eager to co-found from scratch with equally ambitious peers.
- Open-minded: ready to validate your idea and pivot it if the evidence says so.
You bring:
- Depth in your field. Years of hands-on work, for instance, in software, hardware, science, data, finance, operations or sales, with real work to show for it, not just credentials.
- Proof you have built before. A business, a side venture, a hustle. You have sold to customers and put your own time and money on the line.
- A record of achievement. A problem solver and value creator wherever you have focused your attention.
- Your strongest edge. You might be deeply technical or strongly commercial. Ventures need both.

Your 13-month Journey

Jasiri Jumpstart: From 18 Jan 2027 Online, 1 month
- Discover your WHY, your entrepreneurial edge, and fall in love with the problem.
Residential Intensive: 17 Feb – 23 May 2027 , Rwanda
- Team formation, problem and opportunity identification, customer and product development.
Venture Creation: Up to 9 months
- Launch in Rwanda, Kenya or Ethiopia.

Selection Process

Stage 1
- Application form
- Present your entrepreneurial experience, technical skillset, strengths, and track record.
Stage 2
- Entrepreneurial Intentions (EI)
- Complete an assessment of your founding intent and readiness to build
Stage 3
- Psychometrics and video
- Upload a short video on “Why Jasiri, and why now” and complete the psychometric assessment.
Stage 4
- Selection Conference
- If you make it through, join a live assessment, working in groups to tackle challenges and casework alongside other top candidates.
Stage 5
- Interviews
- Join an open conversation about your evidence and entrepreneurial history.
Stage 6
- Offer
- If selected, you will receive an offer to join Cohort 9, with the programme beginning with Jasiri Jumpstart in January 2027.