A pan-African fellowship for founders building the technology, digital infrastructure and innovation shaping the continent’s future. This is a programme for your startup — the three days in Nairobi are where it starts, not what you get.
The fellowship looks for exceptional founders across technology, digital infrastructure and innovation — artificial intelligence, fintech, cloud, developer tools, cybersecurity, healthtech, climate, mobility, media and more. If you are building something that matters on this continent, it is open to you.
Blockchain and Web3 remain central to the ABF ecosystem and are fully eligible — but they are one of the sectors we back, not the entry requirement. The application asks about blockchain experience as context. It is never a gate, and “none” is a valid answer.
Any nationality, anywhere on the continent or in the diaspora. No language test.
Idea through Series A. Traction is judged against your stage, not one fixed bar.
The list below is a guide, not a filter. Blockchain is one entry on it.
Building something the list does not name? Choose Other technology & digital innovation on the form and tell us what it is.
Support scales with your pathway. Access does not — every fellow walks into the same room.
Three days across every ABF 2026 stage, including the Policy Stage, alongside investors, regulators and operators.
Senior figures from the ABF ecosystem and partners including Antler and Launch Africa engage with high-potential fellows.
One cohort drawn from across the continent, with a community running from acceptance through Nairobi and beyond.
Fellows are introduced to the ABFLabs venture-studio fast-track and keep year-round alumni access.
The ABF Fellow Spotlight series puts selected founders and their companies in front of the festival’s audience.
Depending on pathway: flights covered, shared accommodation for three nights, and meals across all summit hours.
This is a programme for your startup. Nairobi is where the cohort meets — most of what you are paying for runs long after everyone flies home.
Every pathway is applied for, and your payment is what submits the application. Fully Funded is competitive and assessed on the strength of your startup. Supported is reviewed before acceptance. Self-Funded needs only an eligibility check.
Pay the application fee, and if you are selected ABF covers your participation in full. Selection is competitive and your startup is assessed on merit. Not selected? Your $49.99 comes off either other pathway.
$49.99application fee · ages 18–35 · competitive
Partially subsidised. Accommodation and meals are covered and your application is reviewed before you are accepted; you arrange your own travel.
$739.99per fellow · reviewed before acceptance
Everything arranged for you. Flights, accommodation and meals are included in the fee — you fund your own place rather than competing for one.
$1,499.99all-inclusive · eligibility check
Final benefits are subject to the eligibility and selection criteria, available capacity and confirmation by the organising team. Submitting an application does not guarantee acceptance into the pathway you choose.
Fifteen minutes, six steps. A confirmation email reaches you straight away.
Your founder story and your startup are scored against six published criteria.
Shortlisting, pathway allocation, and your result — every applicant hears back.
Onboarding, the fellow community, then three days inside the ecosystem.
Selected founders participate in the ABF ecosystem in Nairobi, where they meet venture leaders, investors, ecosystem operators and industry decision-makers. Senior representatives from the programme partners may take part in evaluating high-potential fellows.
Host platform and convener
Programme and founder partner
Ecosystem and investment partner
Ecosystem and investment partner
Antler and Launch Africa are part of the ecosystem around this programme. Fellows share a room, a schedule and a city with investors of this calibre — which is the point of the fellowship, and is not the same thing as being funded.
Antler backs founders at day zero — frequently before there is a company at all. It runs founder residencies and invests at the earliest stage from offices spanning six continents, with teams on the ground in Africa. By number of companies backed, it is one of the most active early-stage investors in the world.
Launch Africa invests at pre-seed and seed in technology companies built on the continent, and has become one of Africa’s most active funds at that stage. Its portfolio runs across fintech, SaaS, healthtech, logistics and mobility, in markets from Lagos to Nairobi to Cape Town.
Please read: participation, selection, investor meetings or exposure does not constitute a promise or guarantee of funding. Funding decisions are independent and subject to each investor’s own process.
Startup founders aged 18 and over, building across technology, digital infrastructure and innovation sectors, from any nationality and any background. You do not need to be building in blockchain or Web3, and there is no language test.
No. Blockchain and Web3 are eligible and well represented at ABF, but the fellowship is deliberately open to founders across a much wider range of technology and digital innovation sectors. The application asks about blockchain experience for context only — “not currently working in blockchain or Web3” is a perfectly good answer and does not count against you.
No. The application itself is free and there is no payment step inside the form. The figures on the pathway cards are what participation costs if you are selected into that pathway — the $15 on Fully Funded is an application fee for that track only, handled separately by the programme team.
No. Selection into the fellowship, and any engagement with investors during the programme, does not guarantee investment. Funding decisions are independent and subject to each investor’s own process.
Yes. The programme accepts founders across stages, from idea and pre-product through to Series A and beyond, subject to the eligibility and selection criteria. Traction is assessed relative to your stage, not against a single bar.
Each pathway represents a different level of participation and support — Fully Funded is the competitive award — ABF contributes toward your flights, accommodation and meals. Supported shares the cost, with accommodation and meals covered while you arrange your own travel. Self-Funded is all-inclusive and funded by you. The final package and allocation are determined by the programme team and confirmed in your official offer.
You should provide either a website or relevant startup materials. A public deck link or an uploaded PDF both work. If you only have one of the two, share what you have — a strong description of the company matters more than the format.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until the slots for each pathway are filled. Earlier applications are assessed against more remaining capacity, so there is no advantage in waiting.
Applications are open and reviewed on a rolling basis until each pathway is full. About fifteen minutes, and you can see every question before you start.
Questions about the programme? Email collaboration@africablockchainfestival.com.
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