Qualcomm® Make in Africa Startup Mentorship Program

✓ As the first initiative of its kind in Africa, this equity-free mentorship program 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.

✓ Be a registered company operating in Africa.
✓ Be in the early stage (pre-seed to seed, ideally with a minimum viable product).
✓ Build solutions that leverage advanced technologies or hardware-enabled systems, such as connectivity, AI, IoT, embedded compute, or similar fields.

✓ Be available at every stage of the program

✓ Startup cohort: Up to 10 startups will be selected for the 2026 incubation program. QMIA 2026 Rules
✓ Mentorship: 1:1 mentorship with Qualcomm subject matter experts
✓ Platforms: Arduino Uno Q based usecase proposals welcome
✓ Masterclasses: Expert-led technology training in areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) including AI-Hub, Internet of Things (IoT), Extended Reality (XR), Compute (AI-PC), 5G, Intellectual Property Law, and more. ✓
✓ Stipends: One startup will be awarded a Social Impact Fund grant from Qualcomm® Wireless ReachTM. All other participating startups will be eligible for a USD $5,000 stipend upon successful completion of program requirements
✓ Additional access to technology, business, and IP training is available at Qualcomm Academy
✓ Patent filing incentives: Reimbursement of up to USD $5,000 for one full utility patent application filed in the startup’s country, at the USPTO, or via the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
✓ Eligibility for a patent filing consultation hours from Adams & Adams, Africa’s leading IP law firm. Learn more
✓ Free access to online IP education, including filing procedures for several African countries, at L2Pro Africa
✓ Visibility and Industry connections:Participation in a virtual finale event in December 2026, including the announcement of the Social Impact Fund award winner. This event will showcase the startups and help accelerate their business success