Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship on Entrepreneurship 2026

Applications are open for the Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship on Entrepreneurship 2026. The fellowship is designed for students and recent graduates from Africa who want to explore an initial business idea, strengthen an existing venture or develop the skills needed to build a sustainable enterprise.

Participants from all academic disciplines and post-secondary institutions in Africa are eligible to apply. The programme is fully virtual, self-paced within an eight-month cycle and requires a minimum commitment of 10 hours each week.

About Dunin-Deshpande Innovation Centre at Queen’s University

The Dunin-Deshpande Innovation Centre at Queen’s University is an entrepreneurship and innovation centre based in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It supports entrepreneurs through training, mentorship, venture development programmes, innovation initiatives and startup resources.

The fellowship is supported by the Mastercard Foundation and the Dunin-Deshpande Innovation Centre. Through its global network, the centre connects participants with coaches, mentors and post-incubation support.

About The Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship on Entrepreneurship 2026

The fellowship helps participants move from identifying a problem to testing a solution and developing a venture with the potential for financial sustainability and impact. Applicants do not need to have an established business before applying; those who are still exploring an initial idea are also eligible to participate.

The programme follows the Disciplined Entrepreneurship framework. It combines online courses, workshops, coaching, mentorship, practical assignments, milestone reviews and pitch presentations. Participants conduct research with potential users, test assumptions, create prototypes and develop plans for launching or growing their ventures.

All programme content is delivered in English. Mentorship may be available in English and French, but assignments and pitch presentations must be completed in English. Applicants who are not fluent in English may apply as part of a team with someone who meets the English-language requirements or access language support through their university or local organisations.

Programme Structure And Progression

1. Explore Phase — January to February: More than 1,000 candidates enter this phase. Participants complete a curated set of online entrepreneurship courses and work through the first 11 steps of the Disciplined Entrepreneurship workbook. They observe and interview potential end users, define and validate the problem they want to address, test key assumptions, generate possible solutions and create an end-user journey map.

2. Ignite Phase — March to April: More than 180 finalists progress to this phase. Participants complete additional courses and the remaining steps of the entrepreneurship framework. They develop marketing and distribution channels, identify relevant partners, create a business model or funding plan, build a simple prototype and test it through experiments. Participants then pitch their business ideas for consideration for the fellowship phase.

3. Launch And Fellowship Phase — May to August: Up to 60 Fellows are selected for this phase. Fellows work on their ventures through the DDQIC summer incubation programme, participate in weekly 3-2-1 pitch presentations, pilot their solutions in real-life settings and work towards generating expressions of interest, end users or customers. They also develop a plan for scaling the venture with support from dedicated coaches and mentors.

4. Graduation — August: The cycle concludes with graduation for participants who complete the Launch and Fellowship phase.

What Participants Will Do

• Complete online entrepreneurship courses and structured assignments.

• Use the Disciplined Entrepreneurship framework to develop and test a venture idea.

• Research customer and end-user needs through observations and interviews.

• Validate a problem, test assumptions and design a solution based on user feedback.

• Develop a prototype and conduct experiments in preparation for real-world use.

• Build marketing, distribution, partnership, business model and funding plans.

• Present ideas and progress through milestone reviews and pitch presentations.

• Work with coaches, mentors and other participants in a virtual programme environment.

Eligibility And Requirements