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Application Deadline: February 15th 2026<\/p>\n
Applications are now open for the 2026 Qualcomm\u00ae Make in Africa Startup Mentorship Program.<\/a> Requirements<\/p>\n To participate, your startup must:<\/p>\n Be a\u00a0registered company operating in Africa.<\/p>\n Be in the\u00a0early stage\u00a0(pre-seed to seed, ideally with a minimum viable product).<\/p>\n Build solutions that leverage\u00a0advanced technologies or hardware-enabled systems, such as connectivity, AI, IoT, embedded compute, or similar fields.<\/p>\n There is\u00a0no purchase or payment required\u00a0to enter. Participation is\u00a0equity-free\u00a0Qualcomm does not take ownership in return for support.<\/p>\n Program Benefits<\/p>\n Startup cohort:\u00a0Up to 10 startups will be selected for the 2026 incubation program.\u00a0QMIA 2026 Rules<\/a><\/p>\n Mentorship:\u00a01:1 mentorship with Qualcomm subject matter experts\u00a0<\/p>\n Platforms:\u00a0Arduino Uno Q based usecase proposals welcome<\/p>\n Masterclasses:\u00a0Expert-led technology training in areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) including AI-Hub, Internet of Things (IoT), Extended Reality (XR), Compute (AI-PC), 5G, Intellectual Property Law, and more. Additional access to technology, business, and IP training is available at\u00a0Qualcomm Academy<\/a><\/p>\n Stipends:\u00a0One startup will be awarded a Social Impact Fund grant from Qualcomm\u00ae Wireless ReachTM. All other participating startups will be eligible for a USD $5,000 stipend upon successful completion of program requirements<\/p>\n Patent filing incentives:\u00a0<\/p>\n Reimbursement of up to USD $5,000 for one full utility patent application filed in the startup\u2019s country, at the USPTO, or via the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)<\/p>\n Eligibility for a patent filing consultation hours from Adams & Adams, Africa\u2019s leading IP law firm.\u00a0Learn more<\/a><\/p>\n Free access to online IP education, including filing procedures for several African countries, at\u00a0L2Pro Africa<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Visibility and Industry connections:Participation in a virtual finale event in December 2026, including the announcement of the Social Impact Fund award winner. This event will showcase the startups and help accelerate their business success<\/p>\n Program Timeline<\/p>\n Application Phase:\u00a0: December 17th 2025 to February 15th 2026<\/p>\n Shortlisting of the Startups:\u00a0March 2026<\/p>\n Mentorship Program:\u00a0April 2026 to November 2026<\/p>\n Program Finale & Demo Day:\u00a0December 2026<\/p>\n For More Information:<\/p>\n
As the first initiative of its kind in Africa, this equity-free mentorship program will identify promising early-stage startups keen on applying advanced connectivity and processing technologies to innovative end-to-end systems solutions, including hardware, and provide these companies with business coaching, access to engineering consultation for product development, and guidance on protecting intellectual property.<\/p>\n