The Foundry Fellowship 2025, offered by the MIT Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship, is a high-impact, fully funded leadership program designed to empower accomplished African entrepreneurs who are dedicated to creating systemic change across the continent. This prestigious fellowship provides visionary leaders—those who have built successful businesses and are now focused on enabling entrepreneurship in others—with the tools, resources, and networks needed to scale their ecosystem-level impact.
The program is specifically crafted for established African entrepreneurs transitioning from operating a single enterprise to influencing broader innovation environments. Fellows are individuals who are no longer only founders, but are now mentors, investors, advocates, and ecosystem builders—people committed to unlocking opportunity for the next generation of African entrepreneurs. The Foundry Fellowship blends immersive learning with peer exchange, strategic reflection, and high-level engagements with thought leaders at MIT and beyond. The experience starts with structured virtual engagements and culminates in a two-week in-person residency at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, USA. Fellows engage with world-class faculty, students, and global innovation leaders, exploring frameworks in systems thinking, innovation-driven entrepreneurship, inclusive growth, and collaborative problem-solving.
What sets this fellowship apart is its focus on ecosystem transformation. It’s not just about the entrepreneur—it’s about enabling other entrepreneurs to thrive. Through systems mapping, collaborative learning, mentorship, and design thinking, fellows explore the entrepreneurial landscape of their countries, identify structural gaps, and develop scalable strategies to improve infrastructure, investment readiness, policy alignment, and innovation capacity. During the program, each fellow designs an actionable roadmap to contribute meaningfully to their ecosystem—whether by starting an accelerator, influencing policy, building angel networks, or launching programs that support marginalized entrepreneurs. The fellowship encourages long-term, measurable change that expands access, equity, and innovation across the continent.
Fellows become lifelong members of the Legatum Center’s global network, gaining access to funding opportunities, peer mentorship, alumni collaborations, and MIT’s vibrant innovation ecosystem. The program helps them forge cross-sector partnerships and unlock pathways for influencing Africa’s entrepreneurial future from within.
At its core, the Foundry Fellowship empowers experienced entrepreneurs who are ready to lead with purpose, give back at scale, and drive inclusive development across Africa through entrepreneurial thinking. It is a journey of transformation—personal, institutional, and societal—offered by one of the world’s most prestigious innovation hubs.
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Requirement/Eligibility
To be eligible for the Foundry Fellowship, applicants must meet the following criteria:
1. Citizenship and Residency Must be a citizen of an African country and currently residing and operating a business or entrepreneurial initiative within Africa.
2. Entrepreneurial Background Applicants must be founders or co-founders of successful, high-impact ventures that have demonstrated growth, scalability, and economic or social influence.
3. Stage of Leadership Ideal candidates are at a mid- to late-career stage, no longer solely focused on their own ventures but actively contributing to broader ecosystem-building efforts.
4. Ecosystem Engagement Applicants should have a demonstrated commitment to strengthening entrepreneurial environments, such as mentoring startups, advocating for policy reform, building networks, or supporting inclusive growth.
5. Vision for Impact Must articulate a clear strategy or idea for how they will contribute to ecosystem development in their country or region during and after the fellowship.
6. Academic and Language Proficiency While a formal academic degree is not required, applicants must show strong leadership capabilities and fluency in English, as the program is conducted entirely in English.
7. Peer Collaboration Should be open to collaborative learning, systems-level thinking, and peer mentorship throughout the program.
8. Commitment Must be available to fully participate in virtual sessions and a two-week in-person residency at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
9. Moral Character and Integrity Applicants must demonstrate ethical leadership and a strong sense of social responsibility.
10. No Prior Affiliation Required Applicants do not need to be affiliated with MIT or to have studied in the U.S.
Duration/Stipend
The Foundry Fellowship is delivered through a blended format, with virtual programming followed by an in-person residency.
Total Duration: Approximately 3–4 months, beginning with virtual engagement and concluding with an in-person two-week residency at MIT.
Location: Virtual + MIT Campus, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Financial Support: Fully funded, including all program costs.
Covers round-trip airfare, accommodation, meals, local transportation, and learning materials.
Participants do not receive a personal stipend, but no costs are incurred by fellows.
Fellows gain access to MIT’s entrepreneurial and academic resources, thought leaders, tailored curriculum, and a lifelong global network of innovators and changemakers.
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