Through the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship, implemented by Hive Colab in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, we support growth stage EdTech ventures that have traction and are ready to scale responsibly. The Mastercard Foundation Fellowship focuses on inclusive solutions serving underserved learners, including low income communities, refugees, and learners with disabilities.
This guide explains how you apply, qualify, and succeed in the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship.
About Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship
The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship is an entrepreneurship acceleration program designed to support promising African EdTech ventures. Implemented in partnership with innovation hubs and accelerators across Africa, the Fellowship equips ventures with critical business, financial, and learning science support.
Hive Colab, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, will implement the The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship in Uganda over the next five years, focusing on responsible scale that expands access to quality learning for underserved communities.
Eligibility Criteria
You must meet these requirements to apply for the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship.
- Locally founded and locally led venture with leadership and decision making rooted in Uganda
- A growth stage venture has a working product with demonstrated traction and is ready to scale delivery and impact in a sustainable way.
Women led ventures and diverse founding teams are strongly encouraged to apply.
The Mastercard Foundation Fellowship favors founder led teams with strong execution capacity.
Benefits of Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship
The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship offers practical support for growth.
What Fellows Receive
- Catalytic funding support up to 70K USD
- Structured fellowship curriculum
- One-on-One Mentorship
- Partnership and market access support
- Learning science and impact support
- Investor readiness and strategic advisory
Many alumni of the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship report improved user growth and stronger partnerships. The Mastercard Foundation Fellowship also supports long term impact tracking.
Selection Process
The Mastercard Foundation Fellowship uses a structured selection process.
- Application screening based on eligibility and impact focus.
- Shortlisting of high potential startups.
- Interview sessions with program partners.
- Final cohort selection and onboarding.
The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship selection team reviews clarity, impact, and scalability.
Program Structure
The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship runs in phases.
Design for inclusion and learning impact
Fellows strengthen problem definition, learner and teacher engagement, and inclusion design. The focus is aligning the solution to classroom realities, disability inclusion, affordability, and measurable learning outcomes. .
- Human centered design with underserved users
- Learner and teacher engagement
- Inclusion and accessibility review
- Learning outcomes and evidence plan
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Acceleration for responsible scale
Fellows receive deeper venture support focused on scaling delivery, partnerships, sustainability, and impact. The goal is growth that expands reach while protecting inclusion and learning quality.
- Product and implementation scaling
- Partnership development
- Revenue resilience and affordability strategy
- Learning outcomes measurement support
- Investor readiness and strategic advisory
Each phase of the Mastercard Foundation Fellowship builds practical skills and execution discipline.
Application Deadline
The application deadline for the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship 2026 is 22nd January 2026 and Final Deadline is 5th February 2026,
Early application improves review timing for the Mastercard Foundation Fellowship.
How to Apply
Follow these steps to apply for the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship.
The application process is designed to be clear and selective.
1. Online Application
Complete the online form with details about your venture, traction, inclusion approach, and learning impact.
APPLICATION LINK
Closing dates for the application – Early Action: 22nd January 2026 and Final Deadline is 5th February 2026
2. Shortlisting & Interviews
Selected ventures will be invited for interviews and readiness review.
3. Selection & Onboarding
Successful ventures join the cohort and begin the fellowship journey.
You receive a confirmation email after submission to the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship.
APPLY NOW
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about the Mastercard EdTech Fellowship.
What is the Mastercard EdTech Fellowship?
The Mastercard EdTech Fellowship is a structured growth programme designed to support post-revenue education technology ventures that are improving learning outcomes in Uganda. The Fellowship provides catalytic grant funding, expert mentorship, tailored advisory support, and access to strategic partners to help ventures scale sustainably and responsibly.
Who is the Fellowship designed for?
The Fellowship targets post-revenue EdTech ventures operating in Uganda or with a strong Uganda focus. Eligible solutions serve learners or educators across early childhood, primary, secondary, vocational, or teacher training segments. Women founders and women-led ventures are strongly encouraged to apply.
What stage should my venture be at?
Applicants must be post-revenue and at a growth stage. For nonprofit ventures, grant income is considered revenue. Ventures should demonstrate traction through active users, institutional partnerships, or paying customers and show readiness to scale.
What types of solutions does the Fellowship support?
The Fellowship supports scalable EdTech solutions that improve learning outcomes and are built for local contexts. Strong solutions are low-bandwidth or offline-capable, aligned with curriculum or skills development needs, and capable of reaching large numbers of learners annually.
What support do selected ventures receive?
Selected ventures receive catalytic, non-equity grant funding, structured mentorship and coaching, tailored business and impact advisory, and access to ecosystem partners including schools, government stakeholders, employers, and invest.
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How much funding is provided?
Each selected venture may receive a non-equity catalytic grant of up to USD 70,000, subject to performance milestones and programme requirements.
What is the duration of the Fellowship?
The Fellowship runs for approximately nine months and includes onboarding, diagnostics, intensive support, mentorship engagements, and a final showcase or pitching phase.
Is the Fellowship focused on women founders?
The Fellowship prioritises gender inclusion and strongly encourages applications from women founders and women-led ventures. While open to all eligible EdTech ventures, the programme actively works to increase women’s leadership and participation in the EdTech ecosystem.
Can early-stage or idea-stage ventures apply?
No. The Fellowship is exclusively designed for post-revenue ventures with solutions already deployed in the market.
What are the application timelines?
Applications open on 22 December 2025. Early Action applications close on 20 January 2026 and are reviewed on a rolling basis. The final application deadline marks the last date for submissions. Late applications are not accepted.
Who implements the Fellowship?
The Fellowship is implemented by Hive Colab in partnership with key ecosystem stakeholders, with support from the Mastercard Foundation.
