Dunin-Deshpande Queen's Innovation Centre

In less than 48 hours, the DDQIC African Initiatives Final Pitch Competition will bring together pitches from the top 15 finalists from the largest Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship pan-African cohort.

Fellows will pitch the ventures they have developed and validated throughout the program for the opportunity to compete for a grand pool prize in non-dilutive seed funding

The final pitch competition is an opportunity to hear directly from these founders, learn about the problems they are solving, and see the ventures they are building for markets across the African continent and beyond. There will also be an opportunity for the audience to vote for their best pitch for an opportunity to walk away with the audience award.

Reserve a spot today here:https://lnkd.in/dBJkkPHz and join us virtually via Zoom or in person at one of our watch party locations:
Kingston, Canada
Mbarara or Kampala, Uganda
Kigali, Rwanda
Accra or Kumasi, Ghana
Gaborone, Botswana
Lagos, Jos, or Borno, Nigeria
Nairobi, Kenya
Loloka Village, Cape Town, South Africa
Abomey-Calavi, Benin
Addis Ababa or Gondar, Ethiopia
Maseru, Lesotho
Limbe, Cameroon

If your preferred location is no longer available, you can still join us virtually.
Wherever you are in the world, you can still be part of the final pitch competition.





Innovation
QueensUniversity
YoungAfricaWorks

8 Days Remaining: hashtag Final Pitch Competition

In just eight days, the top 15 finalists from the Pan-African cohort of the Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship on Entrepreneurship will take the stage at the African Initiatives Final Pitch Competition to compete for a pool prize of $20,000 CAD.

These finalists emerged from more than 1,500 entrepreneurs who began the program earlier this year. After months of personalized training, coaching, customer discovery, and intensive pitch practice, they are now ready to showcase the ventures they have built.

With watch parties across Africa and Canada, this event will be a celebration of innovation, entrepreneurship, and the potential of Africa’s next generation of changemakers.

Tickets for in-person attendance at the different watch party locations are limited and filling up quickly.
Scan the QR Code & Reserve your spot today!

17 DAYS TO GO: African Initiatives Final Pitch Competition

In just 17 days, the African Initiatives Final Pitch Competition will bring together entrepreneurs, mentors, innovators, and supporters across Africa and Canada for an exciting celebration of entrepreneurship and innovation.

After eight months of intensive training, mentorship, customer validation, and pitch coaching, the top 15 fellows will take the stage to compete for a pool prize of $20,000 CAD in non-dilutive seed funding to advance their ventures.

Watch parties will be hosted across Africa and Canada, including:
Canada: Kingston
Ghana: Accra, Kumasi
Kenya: Nairobi
Nigeria: Lagos, Maiduguri, Jos
Rwanda: Kigali
South Africa: Cape Town, Loloka Village
Uganda: Kampala, Mbarara
Botswana: Gaborone
Lesotho: Maseru
Benin: Abomey-Calavi
Cameroon: Limbe

Tickets are selling fast, and spaces at in-person watch parties are limited by venue capacity.

Reserve your spot today:
https://lnkd.in/dBJkkPHz

In the last five years, the program has trained more than 8,500 early stage entreprenuers from 49 countries and 400 universities, while awarding over $230,000 CAD in funding to African founders and their ventures.

Read more:https://lnkd.in/dBJkkPHz






Queen's University

We are excited to invite our alumni, current program participants, entrepreneurs, mentors, investors, and the general public to the DDQIC African Initiatives 2026 Final Pitch Competition.

After eight months of intensive training, mentorship, and customer validation, the finalists from the Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship on Entrepreneurship (Pan-African cohort ) will pitch their ventures and compete for a pool prize of $20,000 CAD in non-dilutive seed funding.

From more than 1,000 fellows who began the Fellowship in January this year, these entrepreneurs represent some of Africa’s most promising innovators, building solutions to address real-world challenges and create lasting impact.

Join us virtually or at one of our watch parties across Canada and Africa as we celebrate innovation, entrepreneurship, and the next generation of African changemakers.

Spots are limited; scan the QR code or register here: https://lnkd.in/dBJkkPHz to attend.

Read more about our work in Africa: https://lnkd.in/d-Px5_kY

We are happy to invite our program participants and the public to an engaging Fireside Chat on Beauty, Product Development & Manufacturing, where accomplished founders will share their entrepreneurial journeys and discuss product development, manufacturing, innovation, brand building, and the lessons behind building successful consumer brands.

The beauty and product manufacturing industry is evolving rapidly, creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs, innovators, and emerging brands.

Featured Speakers
Shamsa Hassan – Founder, Afiya Beauty
Esther Ebis – Founder, Bequeenz Beauty
Pascale Kolesha – Founder, SGT Hair Butter

Whether you are an aspiring founder, entrepreneur, or simply interested in the future of consumer products, this conversation will leave you with practical insights and inspiration.

Scan the QR code or register here: https://lnkd.in/dNRNjQ8X to reserve a spot!




’s University

At DDQIC, we believe that everyone has the potential for creative problem-solving. Our mission is to catalyze this potential, developing entrepreneurial mindsets and fostering a culture of innovation across Queen’s University, the Kingston community, and globally.

As we transition into the Launch Phase of this year’s Pan-African cohort of the Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship on Entrepreneurship, we are happy to share key insights and cohort data with our global community and partners. Forty-two percent of this year’s Ignite phase were young women building startups across sectors in different African countries.

Decisions for the launch of the program will be released in the coming days; we are excited to welcome a pool of talented and most innovative entrepreneurs across Africa to this year’s Launch phase of the program.

Check out our 2025 impact report here: https://lnkd.in/eDQvitCX

Read more about our work in Africa: https://lnkd.in/d-Px5_kY

We are excited to share and congratulate our Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship on Entrepreneurship alumnus Victor Mugambe and current fellow Musau Immanuel Afrika on winning the Best Overall Pitch at the Science, Technology, and Innovation Secretariat of Uganda Future Makers Hackathon 2026, securing 300 million Uganda shillings (approximately USD $81,000) for their venture!

ZuulaCare GastroDx is a dual-target molecular diagnostic platform designed to simultaneously detect Helicobacter pylori and Salmonella Typhi from a single stool sample, helping expand access to rapid, accurate, and affordable diagnostics in underserved communities across the African continent.

Over the last five years, we have been proud to see innovators from the Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship continue to create impactful, community-driven solutions.

Read more about here: https://www.queensu.ca/innovationcentre/programs/jim-leech-mastercard-foundation-fellowship-entrepreneurship

As we wrap up the Ignite Phase of this year’s Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship on Entrepreneurship(Pan-African Cohort), we are happy to host the last Pitching Den this week on Thursday at 10am.

At this stage of the program, fellows are invited to submit a 4-minute pitch for a chance to advance to the launch phase of the program. To help them prepare, our Pitching Dens offer a supportive space where fellows can present their ideas live and receive real-time, constructive feedback from our team, mentors, and peers.

These sessions serve as an opportunity to refine storytelling, strengthen clarity of vision, and build the confidence needed to submit a compelling pitch.