Catalyst Jobtech Accelerator

The Catalyst Jobtech Accelerator provides grant capital and bespoke venture building support for early-stage startups with high growth potential by deeply collaborating over the course of six months to build the foundations of the business.

BFA Global has been running accelerator programmes for nearly a decade, supporting startups developing inclusive tech solutions for underserved communities in emerging markets. BFA Global’s flagship accelerator, the Catalyst Fund (originally backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and JPMorgan Chase, then UK Aid, Mastercard Foundation, Paypal and FSD Africa), supports inclusive tech startups with capital and hands-on venture building support, access to a network of 140+ investors, and a large alumni base of startups across 15 emerging markets. To date, Catalyst Fund has backed 61 startups, which raised $573m+ in follow-on funding, have a survival rate of >88%, and have reached 14m+ underserved consumers.

Building on the experience of BFA Global’s Catalyst Fund model, the program will host 2 cohorts of 4 early-stage innovators building affordable, accessible and appropriate jobtech solutions which connect young people to jobs. The Catalyst Fund accelerator combines catalytic capital, bespoke venture-building support and connections to investors, talent networks and other ecosystem partners to accelerate companies toward product-market fit and scale. We’re excited to be launching the Catalyst Jobtech Accelerator to drive the same level of innovation and growth in the jobtech space.

What we offer

We offer the selected startups a wide range of support:

• Grant capital
• Bespoke Venture building support
• Connections to our Circle of Investors
• Networking with industry peers and potential mentors / advisors

Eligibility criteria

We’re looking for jobtech platforms which satisfy the following criteria:

• Fall into one or more of the jobtech categories as outlined by our taxonomy here.
• Early stage (<3 years, <$1m raised) but must have product live in market. Idea or pilot stage startups are NOT eligible.
• Suitable for venture-backed growth.
• Operating in one or more of: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda.