BongoHiveWe work with great minds building viable solutions that change the world by providing a range of startup and innovation programmes all focused on making Zambia Africa’s next hotbed of innovation.
Open for Applications
Thrive Investor Readiness programme
Are you looking for investment for growth? Would you like to learn more about approaching investors?
We’re seeking a selection of 10 startups operating from within Lusaka, Zambia that are tackling the largest challenges in one or more of the following critical sectors: Education (Edtech); Tourism; Financial inclusion (FinTech); Clean energy; Agriculture; and Mining Services.
Application Deadline: 11th December 2020
Programme Dates: Workshop 1: 19 – 23 January 2021, Workshop 2: 18 – 22 February 2021, Workshop 3: 20 – 24 March 2021
Flagship Programmes
Discover
For aspiring entrepreneurs wanting to turn a business idea into a launchable startup. This is an intense bi-monthly 2-week full-time Bootcamp that gives you the skills you need to test, refine and prototype your idea.
Launch
Built for launched early-stage startups, this programme takes a handful of promising founders, twice a year, through a 3-month programme that accelerates their growth. If your startup has the ability to disrupt the market and go global, Launch is for you.
Social Enterprise Academy Zambia
The programmes are customizable, practical and responsive to the needs of organisations or people transitioning into the social impact space or those already well-established in the space.
X
A programme designed to work with students in nurturing their ability to solve grand challenges.
Current Programmes
Thrive Investor Readiness Programme
An Investor Readiness Programme in partnership with Prospero and Village Capital to accelerate the growth of socially responsible enterprises.
SC Women In Tech Incubator
The Standard Chartered Women in Technology Incubator (WiT) Zambia, is Africa’s leading incubator programme for female-run and founded businesses.
Future Traders
Absa Bank Zambia PLC and BongoHive’s Future Traders programme provides the opportunity for interested candidates to build a career in Financial Markets.
Fintech4U Accelerator
The programme is designed for entrepreneurs who have recently started a fintech or digital financial services business that has the potential to grow throughout Zambia and the regional market.
Boost Up
BOOST UP is a three-part startup support programme organised by the Connected Hubs network and the Southern Africa Innovation Support Programme (SAIS 2) in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia.
MTN MoMo Hackathon
MTN Zambia in collaboration with Comviva and BongoHive, invite developers and entrepreneurs in Zambia to participate in the MoMo Hackathon giving entrepreneurs based in Zambia the opportunity to create innovative financial and transactional applications using the MTN MoMo API platform.
DITCh Plastic
“Digital Innovations for Transitioning to a Circular Plastic Economy (DITCh Plastic) aims to characterise, cluster, synergise and optimise digital innovations that would support/accelerate the transition to a circular plastic economy in Africa.
Creative Enterprise Programme
A unique two-phased support programme focused on hubs that support creative enterprises in Mozambique, Malawi, & Zambia. A Hub Accelerator to co-create an inclusive toolkit to support creative enterprises and in-country sessions where hubs deliver the training to their communities.
i4Policy
i4Policy supports the emergence of relevant entrepreneurship-focused policy reforms driven by local communities of “policy users” (the people affected by public policy).
Financial Management for Small Businesses in Zambia
A World Bank-funded project to improve the Financial Management in Zambia’s Small Manufacturing firms supported by Market Connect programme under the Zambia Agribusiness and Trade Project, implemented by the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry (MCTI).
DIGILOGIC
The vision of DIGILOGIC is to boost the cooperation and strategic partnership between European and African Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs)
paving the way for startups, SMEs and innovators to jointly develop smart logistic solutions, in close cooperation with industries and ventures,
securing sustainability and success.
Drone Hackathon Zambia
Drone Hackathon Zambia seeks to nurture creativity and hone entrepreneurial skills amongst Zambia-based early-stage technology youth entrepreneurs. During this 5-Day Virtual Bootcamp, participants will have the opportunity to learn from experienced drone professionals.
Mentor Driven Capital Program
Implementing partners of the VC4A mentorship programme where local mentors with various industry experts are recruited, trained and matched with startups who can benefit from their individual skills.
Past Programmes
Boost Up
Set up, Stand Up and Scale Up events included coaching, pitch competitions and incubation of 5 startups representing each country taking part in Slush 2019 in Helsinki.
Academy for Women Entrepreneurs
A programme aimed at connecting women business builders in Zambia with the tools needed to bring their bright entrepreneurial ideas to life.
DataHack4FI
DataHack for Financial Inclusion brought together data enthusiasts and emerging tech companies to promote data-driven solutions for financial and economic inclusion.
Boost with Facebook Zambia Roadshows
Boost with Facebook roadshows in Solwezi, Kitwe, Chipata, and Lusaka to train small and medium-sized businesses on how to use Facebook to drive business growth.
Zambia Agribusiness Bootcamp
A competitive mentoring and training program designed to help growth-oriented SMEs who operate in value-added agribusiness to derive concrete and feasible expansion plans.
Entrepreneurship Bootcamp
The Entrepreneurship Bootcamp helped assist entrepreneurs to work together and start businesses in 6 thematic areas.
UNICEF Zambia Innovation Lab
The Zambia Innovation Lab allowed UNICEF and the UN in Zambia to convene dynamic, new partners around specific issues that affect children and women and foster the creation of solutions that are designed to go to global scale.
The Finance Bootcamp for Startups
Six American experts worked with Zambia’s most promising startups to help them grow. Startups learned how to get their businesses ready to take on debt and investment and ultimately learn how to grow.
Mobile Innovation Roadshow
infoDev and the SAIS Program convened multiple stakeholders to magnify opportunities in mobile innovation and encourage goal-oriented collaborations for mobile development and entrepreneurship in Zambia, Mozambique, Namibia, and Botswana
Total Zambia Startupper Challenge
Startupper of the year by Total Challenge aimed to support good ideas and projects that help address a widespread problem affecting communities in various countries.
SADC Innovation Challenge
Supporting early stage innovations that are relevant to financial inclusion in SMME Financing, Digital Financial Identity, Women and Savings, and Access to Basic Services
BongoHive Fintech Challenge
Bongohive partnered with FSD Zambia to promote the development of new ideas that address financial inclusion gaps in Lusaka and Copperbelt provinces of Zambia.
Agribusiness Accelerator Initiative
A partnership of public and private organisations, led by Musika, focusing resources on building the capacity of the small rural businesses that are critical to the deepening and broadening of the agricultural sector.
Spark 4 Kids
A fun 2-day project-based programme hosted during school holidays to introduce kids (9-12yrs) to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and computer programming.
EdTech Bootcamp
A 3-day workshop & intense one-on-one consultations with experts to accelerate the growth of EdTech startups.