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Wimbart has launched the second edition of its Office Hours Programme, which equips early-stage technology startups with PR and communications tools needed to help scale their businesses, the company said Thursday.
The three-month program will deliver PR and business mentorship to 30 Africa-focused startups and comes after the pilot Wimbart Office Hours Programme launched in March. The inaugural edition saw 22 start-ups, including Crop2Cash, Ecodudu and Wellahealth selected from a pool of over 80 applicants from across Africa, Europe, and the United States.
The second edition will be held in partnership with two of leading names in the tech ecosystem – the Pan-African early-stage fund Ventures Platform, and leading media platform Techpoint Africa, adding “another layer of expert insight” into the program offering, Wimbart Founder Jessica Hope said.
Kicking off in August, the second Wimbart Office Hours cohort will have access to three expert webinars led by Jessica Hope, who will be joined by Kola Aina, Founder & CEO of Ventures Platform, and Adewale Yusuf, Founder & CEO of Techpoint.
The webinars will focus on the importance of communication for growth, investment, and reputation management. They will be followed by three dedicated one-on-one PR office hours sessions with senior members of the Wimbart team, and one business mentoring session with an advisor from Ventures Platform, the company said.
Wimbart has also launched an online Alumni Network to continue supporting the early-stage start-ups connected with by providing a means to stay in touch with all the mentors, ask for comms advice when needed, and get inbound media opportunities.
“We hope that with the launch of the Wimbart Alumni Network, we will build a dynamic community of start-ups who share knowledge and opportunities and also foster cross-border and cross-sector collaboration,” Hope said.
Targeted at technology-enabled startups building solutions for Africans on the continent or in the Diaspora, eligible firms must be less than two years old, have a minimum viable product, and be pre-Series A. Applications are now open and close at 12:00 pm WAT on Friday, July 24. Successful applicants will be notified by Wednesday, July 29.
Wimbart is an independent public relations agency specializing in Africa and emerging markets, boasting of clients that include top African tech startups such as Andela, IROKOtv, Kobo360, and 54gene.
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