Early stage startups who are interested in elevating their companies from middle and low income Commonwealth countries, the Commonwealth Startup Fellowship is that opportunity for you to acquire the necessary skills.

This six months program is designed as a combination of in-person experiences and online learning to provide participants with essentials skills, cutting-edge knowledge, and a robust global network.

By the completion of this program, entrepreneurs will have gained enough knowledge to develop thriving businesses, scale operations effectively, and drive job creation in their home countries.

For the Commonwealth Startup Fellowship, 20 early start-ups will be selected across the Commonwealth countries. One person from each business must be available to attend a two-week bootcamp in Accra, Ghana from 14-30 November 2025. Representatives who have outstanding organizations might be given the opportunity to travel to London, UK later in the year for a series of exciting capstone events.

Further details about this fellowship below:

Benefits

Each Commonwealth Startup Fellowship provides:

• Approved return travel from the Fellow’s home country to the in-person bootcamp in Accra, Ghana.
• Accommodation, travel and catering for the duration of the in-person bootcamp in Accra, Ghana.
• Reimbursement of the standard visa application fee.
• Reimbursement of vaccination costs.
• Access to a Fellow’s Grant Fund for business or participation-related costs.
• Select participants will be invited to a Capstone in London, UK, where they will have the chance to pitch to investors and industry leaders.
• In addition to the training and mentorship, participating teams can apply for financial support from the Fellows Fund, a pot of £35,000 in equity free grants. This funding is available to cover business related costs to help you develop and grow your startup.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the Commonwealth Startup Fellowship, prospective Fellows must:

• Be of at least graduate level;
• Be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by an eligible low or middle income Commonwealth country;
• Be permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country;
• Be fluent in written and spoken English.
• Not have undertaken a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship within the last five years (at the time of taking up the award)
• Be available to undertake their fellowship from the prescribed start date

In addition, they must demonstrate:

• Evidence of innovation, in terms of product, service, or market
• Active development for at least six-months and demonstrable commitment from team members
• A working minimum viable ‘product’, service and/or prototype
• Significant evidence of customer engagement or traction in the form of early sales or pre-sales . proof of interest or demand, signed contracts or other relevant evidence.

Application Timeline

• 2 June 2025 – Applications Open
• 30 June 2025 – Application Deadline
• 15 November – 29 November 2025 – In-person Bootcamp in Accra, Ghana
• 30 November 2025 – 15 May 2026 – Online Programming
• May 2026 – In person Capstone event in London, UK

For more details, kindly visit the official website of the Commonwealth Startup Fellowship