Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship

The Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship on Entrepreneurship is open for applications. This is for African students and recent graduates who want to build something. Not just talk about building something. The program runs for eight months and gives you training, mentorship, and a shot at seed funding. The deadline is December 1, 2026, at 12:59 pm ET. Successful candidates hear back by the end of December 2026.

The fellowship is delivered by the Dunin-Deshpande Innovation Centre at Queen’s University. It is fully virtual, which means you can do it from anywhere in Africa, but you must commit at least 10 hours per week. The program develops what they call an entrepreneurial skillset and mindset. If you are already building a business or just exploring an idea, this is designed to help you take the next step.

Language matters here because the program content is delivered in English. Mentorship may be offered in English and French. Assignments and pitches must be completed in English. If you are not fluent in English, you are still encouraged to apply. You can form a team with someone who meets the language requirements or work with your university to access language support.

Programme Details

• Host Institution: Dunin-Deshpande Innovation Centre at Queen’s University, Canada.
• Field: Entrepreneurship and venture development.
• Number of awards: Up to 60 fellows selected in the final phase.
• Duration: 8 months (January 2027 – August 2027).
• Eligible countries: Open to citizens of African countries who are students or recent graduates.

Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship Benefits

The fellowship provides participants with training, mentorship, and financial support. Here is what you get:

Best-in-Class Training

• The business bootcamp is delivered by Queen’s University faculty and industry leaders who bring decades of combined entrepreneurship and C-Suite experience.
• The Disciplined Entrepreneurship framework is a proven step-by-step framework for scalable startups developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
• Pitch coaching and mastery.
• Live workshops on marketing, goal setting, and recruiting were held throughout the program.
• Opportunity to earn micro-credentials on entrepreneurship awarded by Queen’s University for successful completion of the courses.

Mentorship and Networking

• Liaise with mentors and speakers leading innovation and entrepreneurship in North America.
• Access a global network of Queen’s entrepreneurial alumni.
• Join a cohort of thousands of like-minded students and recent grads from across Africa.
• Fellows are matched to industry leaders and entrepreneurs in the final phase of the program.
• Receive feedback at important startup milestones.

Financial Support

• Up to 60 fellows selected in the final phase receive a stipend of $500 CAD.
• Opportunities to pitch for prizes of up to $15,000 CAD in the pitch competition at the end of the program.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

• Be a citizen of an African country.
• Be a student currently enrolled in a post-secondary institution or a recent graduate (within the past five years).
• Have a desire to solve pressing problems and bring an entrepreneurial idea to life.
• Commit to completing all three phases of the online program if selected.
• Have reliable access to the internet and a device to participate in virtual sessions and complete online assignments.

Students and recent graduates from all academic disciplines and any post-secondary institution in Africa are welcome. Whether you are already building a business or just exploring a new idea, this program will help you take the next step.

What They’re Looking For

The fellowship seeks participants who are:

• Committed to developing their entrepreneurial mindset.
• Ready to make the most of the program’s resources and mentorship.
• Willing to dedicate at least 10 hours per week to their entrepreneurial journey.

The program is fully virtual and can be completed at your own pace over the 8-month cycle, but participants must meet assignment deadlines to advance through the program phases.

Programme Timeline

Phase 1 – Explore Entrepreneurship (January 2027 – February 2027)

Over 1,000 exceptional candidates receive access to a curated list of online entrepreneurship courses and work through the first 11 steps of the Disciplined Entrepreneurship framework workbook. Candidates have several months to demonstrate their commitment to the entrepreneurial process by completing the training and progressing on their ideas’ respective milestones.

Guiding Questions: Who is my customer? What can I do for them?

Milestones:

• Make observations through interviews or some other means.
• Clearly define and validate the problem you are solving by speaking to end users.
• Validate or invalidate key assumptions, which are the basis of creating the solution you want to work on.
• Ideate—generate solutions to the problem you are solving.
• Create a journey map of your end users’ experience using your solution.

Phase 2 – Ignite Entrepreneurship (March 2027 – April 2027)

Over 180 finalists with an outstanding commitment to the entrepreneurship process, who have excelled at the milestones set out in Phase 1, will be selected to join this phase. They will continue to go through an additional curated list of online entrepreneurship courses and work through the remaining steps of the Disciplined Entrepreneurship framework’s workbook. At the end of this phase, participants pitch their ideas, competing for the fellowship. The most advanced and promising business ideas become the finalists who receive the fellowship.

Guiding Questions: How does your end user acquire your solution? How will this be funded or become financially sustainable?

Milestones:

• Develop channels to market and reach out to any necessary partners.
• Create a business model or a plan for funding your solution.
• Prototype your solution in the simplest way possible that still allows you to generate meaningful feedback from end users.
• Validate all critical assumptions by creating experiments and test your solution using your prototype.

Phase 3 – Launch and Fellowship (May 2027 – August 2027)

Up to 60 fellows will be selected to join DDQIC’s summer incubation program. During this phase, Fellows work on their ideas, access seed funding, and participate in weekly 3-2-1 pitch presentations about the work they are doing as they transform their ideas into scalable startups. Fellows receive a USD 350 stipend and dedicated coaches and mentors from DDQIC’s global network of industry experts and entrepreneurs. Fellows have the opportunity to compete in a pitch competition for more seed funding at the end of the program.

Guiding Questions: How do you execute your solution? How can you scale it?

Milestones:

• Pilot your solution in a more real-life scenario.
• Generate expressions of interest, end users, or customers.
• Create a plan to scale.

How to Apply for the Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship

Interested applicants must submit their applications online. The application deadline is December 1, 2026, at 12:59 pm ET. Successful candidates will be notified of the decision by the end of December 2026.

To apply, visit the official fellowship page and follow the instructions. Read Queen’s University’s advisory on a fraud alert targeting international students before submitting any information.

The deadline to submit applications is December 1, 2026, at 12:59 pm ET. For more details on the Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship on Entrepreneurship, please visit the official page.