Pan-African entrepreneurial training program, seed fund, and incubator MEST has launched two new Incubator spaces in Lagos and Cape Town, as the program continues to expand its presence across the continent.
MEST Incubators in Lagos and Cape Town will act as an extension of the Accra community, offering entrepreneurs the same support, skilled staff, mentorship, network and resources enjoyed in Ghana, as well as a number of curated events in an effort to bring together the African tech community – catering to everyone from startup founders and teams, to investors and corporate executives.
As well, the spaces will add a new pillar to the MEST offering: co-working. Core pillars of MEST include a 1-year technology training program in Ghana for African entrepreneurs, followed by potential seed funding and incubation for MEST portfolio companies in pan-African incubator spaces. The new co-working offering will invite local entrepreneurs to apply to join the MEST Incubator space as well, opening the community up to startups who did not graduate from the MEST training program.
Members of the MEST Incubator will find hot desks and private office packages in each location, joining a curated, pan-African community of entrepreneurs and innovators working in technology, venture capital, digital and media, with the goal of bringing together the brightest minds in each field.
“With its nine-year track record in Ghana, we are glad to finally see MEST expand their footprint into Nigeria,” says Lagos State Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Tunde Durosinmi-Etti, on the launch. “This new incubator in Nigeria’s economic centre, Lagos, is a strategic move towards partnering with the state government in changing the future economy of the state through its support for new businesses, empowering millennials and providing more jobs.”
The MEST Incubator Cape Town will launch in the former Cape Town Garage, located in Woodstock Exchange, taking over the space and welcoming the existing community.
“As a South Africa-based VC, we’re thrilled about MEST’s South African expansion,” says Andrea Böhmert, partner and co-founder of Knife Capital. “MEST has a unique offering that combines capacity-building with access to funding and a global network, in an effort to create globally successful entrepreneurs. Their presence will certainly add to the dynamic startup community in Cape Town and further fuel growth on the continent.”
