ALX Ventures, the entrepreneurship support arm of ALX, has descended on South Africa, promising to empower a new generation of agile start-ups with digital capabilities.
Already launched in two other African markets – Nigeria and Rwanda – the first cohort in SA starts this month, with over 1 300 applications already received, according to a statement.
ALX Ventures in SA aims to support top young local tech talent and early-stage start-ups to launch, accelerate and fund promising disruptive ventures that tackle the world’s challenges and opportunities through business.
Divesh Sooka, ALX South Africa GM, explains: “Africa has the potential to build the next generation of game-changing ventures, but it is up to our young people to take up the challenge.
“As the tech landscape evolves, entrepreneurs will prove to be crucial in shaping the continent’s transformation, which is why we are so invested in developing real-world tech and professional skills that the leaders of tomorrow can use today to launch and scale their very own start-ups.”
ALX is an African technology training provider, equipping young people with in-demand technical skills and soft skills that enable them to thrive in the global digital economy.
A brand of African Leadership International, its blended learning programmes are designed to help learners and professionals build their careers in high-growth industries, to become digital leaders for the 21st century.
Available to young Africans between the ages of 18-34, the ALX Ventures programmes are fully sponsored to eligible candidates and all courses are available online, according to the statement.
South African participants will also have the option to attend two ALX tech hub working spaces in Braamfontein and Sophiatown, Johannesburg.
The courses take place across three programmes – the Founder Academy, the Accelerator Programme, and the Venture Capital Fund – that will run in succession.
ALX’s curriculum also includes crucial soft skills, with an emphasis on coding.
The training and skills development provider says soft skills and leadership development are as important as tech skills, noting these are essential qualities for individual success and for start-ups to thrive.
“Success relies on a variety of soft skills such as leadership, adaptability, resilience, and the ability to manage as well as cope with change. These skills spur problem-solving and innovation – key attributes of the techno-fluent leaders of tomorrow,” comments Sooka.
Over the years, ALX’s tech training courses have graduated over 97 000 learners. With the ambition to rapidly scale their learner community this year, ALX has enrolled over 100 000 learners in the first two months of 2024.
“SA has a wealth of young, untapped talent that has the potential to develop and solve unique challenges. The launch of ALX Ventures goes one step further in empowering this talent with the right tools, firmly setting the stage for 21st-century African entrepreneurship and enabling SA’s youth to become active players not only in the global digital economy, but also in shaping their own economic futures,” Sooka concludes.
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