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Project NINJA

December 8, 2022

JICA NINJA Acceleration Program in Ethiopia

The deadline has been postponed to January 13 by 5:00 PM !!

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Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Ethiopia's Ministry of Innovation and Technology (MinT) invite Ethiopian innovators to apply for their chance to participate in an Acceleration Program and Pitch Competition, delegation program in Japan.

Nearly three quarters of Ethiopia's population are under the age of 30, making the country ripe for economic growth through innovation and startups. With that in mind, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), in collaboration with Ethiopia's Ministry of Innovation and Technology (MinT) is inviting aspiring entrepreneurs with innovative ideas to apply for the ‘Next Innovation with Japan (NINJA) Acceleration Program in Ethiopia 2022' competition.

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JICA and MinT have several programs to support startups in Ethiopia as part of "Project NINJA (Next Innovation with Japan)" (Project NINJA: Youtube) (external link). One of the main objectives of Project NINJA is to encourage innovations solving the prominent problems of the society by utilizing emerging technologies. Innovative startups contribute significantly to economic growth and employment nationwide, it also helps develop new and innovative solutions to challenges faced by traditional industries through cross-sector innovation, thereby creating a more dynamic and competitive society.

The ten-month acceleration program and pitch competition are aimed at improving and enhancing the environment of startups by helping entrepreneurs obtain training, improve access to funding and connect them with critical resources to actualize their business plans. It will begin with a selection of 30 startups, and, after two rounds of pitch training and screenings, six startups will be selected to participate in an advanced four-month accelerator training. The selected six startups will get an opportunity to have a final pitch in Ethiopia next year, and some of six startups will be dispatched to Japan for the knowledge co-creation (training) program.

Shortly thereafter, the NINJA Accelerator Program team will screen applications for the initial round of 30 startups. Those startups will spend one week receiving basic training in pitching their projects, then presenting those pitches to a panel of evaluators. From this round, a total of 15 startups will be advanced to the next level of competition, providing the evaluators with in-person and virtual workplace visits and second-round interviews. From there, the evaluators will make their final decision on which six startups have earned the opportunity to participate in the intensive acceleration program, which will apply best practices from successful acceleration programs, support the startups in creating business networks and/or partnerships, build their capacity and business acumen as entrepreneurs, and address baselined needs.

In May or June 2023, the six accelerated startups will then present their final pitches to a wide audience of local and international investors, as well as officials from the government of Ethiopia, local stakeholders, and media during a Final Pitch Event. The final six startups will get a disbursement amount of ETB 500K each upon delivery of two reports of their business. The funding will be used to further refine their minimum viable product. Additionally, some of them will get the chance to visit Japan for a training and meet with potential investors and mentors.

If you are the founder of an innovative startup that: (a) is legally registered and operating company in Ethiopia; (b) has a tech enabled product (c) has a clear and focused business plan; (d) has a desire to scale operations; (e) is seeking expansion capital; and (f) is coachable and willing to learn, then please check out the APPLICATION PAGE (LINK (external link)) for more details on how you can apply for consideration. The application deadline will be December 26 by 5:00 PM (Japan)/11:00 AM (Ethiopia).

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