Leading global wireless technology firm Qualcomm has opened applications for its Make in Africa Startup Mentorship Programme, which offers startups access to coaching, access to engineers, and guidance on protecting IP.
The NASDAQ-listed Qualcomm is an American multinational that creates semiconductors, software, and services related to wireless technology.
Disrupt Africa reported in December 2022 that the company had launched its African Innovation Platform, a suite of mentorship, education, and training programmes created to support the development of Africa’s emerging technology ecosystem.
The platform will provide resources and support for local universities, small-to-medium-sized startups, and grant participants, exposing them to Qualcomm’s engineers and its state-of-the-art capabilities suite for mobile platforms and technologies, including 4G, 5G, IoT, AI, and machine learning.
It has now taken that further with the launch of the Make in Africa Startup Mentorship Programme, an equity-free mentorship initiative that 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.
Applications are open here until February 18, with the programme taking place between April and November. It will conclude with a demo day in December.