Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship

Supporting locally founded and locally led, growth stage EdTech ventures building inclusive solutions that improve learning outcomes in Uganda.

Ventures

Cohort 2

Waiting List
About the program
About the fellowship

The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship is a selective growth partnership for EdTech ventures that are already working in the Ugandan context and are ready to strengthen scale, sustainability, and learning impact.

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.

Program Overview

The Fellowship supports growth stage EdTech ventures operating in Uganda or with a strong Uganda focus. Ventures receive structured support that strengthens product readiness, implementation excellence, partnerships, business resilience, and learning outcomes measurement.

Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship

Ready to start your journey?

WAITING LIST

Catalytic funding support

Structured fellowship curriculum

One-on-One Mentorship

Partnership and market access support

Why this fellowship matters in Uganda

Uganda's education ecosystem needs solutions that work in real classrooms and real communities. The Fellowship prioritises ventures that design for constraints and complexity, including low connectivity environments, under-resourced schools, and displacement settings.

Overcrowded classrooms and limited resources

Teacher support and training gaps

Skills pathways and school-to-work transitions

Unequal access for refugees and learners with disabilities

Programme Stages

Manage the programme structure, stages, features, icons and display order.

01

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
02

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
Eligibility Criteria

A growth stage venture has a working product with demonstrated traction and is ready to scale delivery and impact in a sustainable way.

Eligibility

Edtech ventures should be locally founded and locally led, and growth stage delivering inclusive solutions in Uganda.

Locally founded and locally led venture with leadership and decision making rooted in Uganda

Growth stage venture with a working product and evidence of traction such as active users, paying customers, institutional partnerships, or sustained deployment

Solution improves learning outcomes or strengthens teaching and learning in Uganda

Inclusive by design, serving underserved learners such as low income communities, refugees, and learners with disabilities

What Fellows Receive

Catalytic funding support

Tailored financial support designed to accelerate inclusive scale and delivery readiness.

Structured fellowship curriculum

A practical programme built for growth stage execution, learning impact, and sustainability.

One-on-One Mentorship

Direct support from experts who understand education delivery and venture scale.

Partnership and market access support

Connections to relevant institutions and ecosystem actors where appropriate.

Learning science and impact support

Guidance to measure outcomes and strengthen evidence of what works.

Investor readiness and strategic advisory

Support to strengthen governance, storytelling, metrics, and long term capital pathways.

Meet Our Ventures
Partners and ecosystem collaboration

The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship Uganda Cohort is implemented by Hive Colab in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. The Fellowship collaborates with education institutions, government agencies, development partners, investors, and ecosystem organisations.

Become a Partner

Key information
about the Mastercard EdTech Fellowship
and the application process.

Frequently Asked Questions
How to Apply

Online Application

Complete the online form with details about your venture, traction, inclusion approach, and learning impact.

Apply Now
1

Shortlisting & Interviews

Selected ventures will be invited for interviews, readiness review, and due diligence.

2

Selection & Onboarding

Successful ventures join the cohort and begin the fellowship journey.

3
Get in Touch

For application questions, partnership inquiries, and media requests, contact the fellowship team.

Email us edtech@hivecolab.com Call us +256 392 177 978
Visit us Kampala, Uganda

Send us a message

Fill in the form and our team will get back to you.

About Hive Colab

Hive Colab is Uganda's first innovation hub and a leading entrepreneurship support organisation with over a decade of experience supporting technology-driven ventures.

Hive Colab Website