Applications for De Beers, Stanford Seed Transformation Programme to close soon
Applications close soon for the first of two programmes in Botswana run by the Stanford Graduate School of Business in a three-year partnership with De Beers Group.
The Stanford Seed Transformation Programme, part of a US$3 million investment by De Beers Group, is a year-long leadership programme providing management training, team workshops and networking support for southern African entrepreneurs.
The programme, based in the Botswana capital Gaborone, is open to established business owners in Namibia, Botswana and South Africa and applications close on 6 October.
The programme which will be taught by Stanford Graduate School of Business with local facilitators, gets under way in January 2018.
The aim of the programme is to entrepreneurs grow their businesses, create jobs and lead their regions to greater economic diversity and prosperity. The partnership is in collaboration with a range of Government entities in Botswana, including the Botswana Innovation Hub and the Botswana Ministry of Tertiary Education.
At the partnership launch in August, Bruce Cleaver, CEO, De Beers Group, said, “Economic diversification and youth employment opportunities are priorities for our government partners and are priorities for De Beers Group as well. We all believe these two programmes, in partnership with a world-renowned educational institution, have excellent potential to help accelerate diversification and stimulate more opportunities for young and ambitious southern Africans.”
The second programme, Stanford Go-To-Market, is an intensive, one-week entrepreneurship boot camp, taught by the Stanford Graduate School of Business faculty. Applications open in October and the course takes place in March 2018.
It involves a combination of lectures, case studies and small group discussions, with the aim of helping budding entrepreneurs gain the confidence and skills to develop their business ideas and get them to market quickly.
The programme runs initially in Botswana but may expand to include participants from other southern African countries.
Dr Alfred Madigele, Minister of Tertiary Education for Botswana, said: “We welcome the private sector’s support of developing programmes that will enhance diversity and have a socio-economic impact for the youth. The impact this initiative will have on the expansion and transformation of the economies, primarily focusing on mining, to technology, innovation, and the entrepreneurial economy is immeasurable.”
caption: To learn more about the programme and apply, visit www.gsb.stanford.edu/seed/transformation-program/southern-africa.
