What is Build Programme 2025?
The Build Programme 2025 is an intensive 6-month accelerator designed to meticulously guide ventures in developing a compelling investor business case. It provides startups with the critical resources needed to scale.
- Access to Funding: Access to funding is a core component of the programme; designed to connect startups with Africa’s top investors. A highlight of the programme is Demo Day, where the cohort presents their ventures to leading investors across the continent, creating opportunities for funding and visibility. Beyond Demo Day, the programme offers ongoing investor meetups and direct access to our expansive network of investors, helping founders build valuable relationships and gain insights to support their fundraising journey. Finally, startups in the programme will benefit from tailored guidance and support throughout each stage of their fundraising process, with the added opportunity to receive investment directly from the Savant Venture Fund.
- Access to Market: Through the Savant Build Programme, we empower companies with the right tools and connections to develop and execute effective market-expansion strategies. Whether it’s through forging strategic partnerships, identifying key customer segments, or fine-tuning their go-to-market approach, we ensure that startups are equipped to scale efficiently. Our programme provides direct access to industry leaders, corporate partners, and market experts, enabling startups to quickly gain traction, expand into new markets, and achieve long-term growth.
- Support: We offer tailored, hands-on support to address the unique challenges faced by each startup in the Savant Build Programme. Through one-on-one mentorship, specialised masterclasses, and exclusive networking opportunities, we help founders tackle critical business challenges, from product development and team building to sales and operations. Our goal is to ensure that every startup is investment-ready, providing guidance from legal structuring to scaling strategies.
Joining the Build Programme 2025 not only positions early-stage startups as trailblazers in solving complex, green economy-focused problems through science and engineering-based technology but also grants them the esteemed credibility backing of both Savant and USAID Mobilizing Investment.
We invest in founders beyond capital
Introducing the Savant Build Programme, a highly competitive investment readiness initiative tailored for visionary founders who are dedicated to tackling Green Economy challenges through cutting-edge deep-tech hardware solutions.
Our Build Programme offers founders a one-of-a-kind blend of engineering resources, robust networks, and access capital. It’s designed to empower African founders in the SADC region to put their innovations to the test locally and propel them to international success. In the ever-evolving startup landscape, achieving significant momentum requires a reimagined approach.
It demands profound insights, unparalleled access, and founders with the resilience to go the extra mile in bringing their pioneering technologies to market. This is precisely why we’ve introduced the Savant Build Programme.
Who we are looking for
To apply for the Savant Build Programme, we are seeking individuals and teams who meet the following criteria:
General Eligibility
- Innovative hardware solutions rooted in deep technology
- Founders actively seeking capital, whether at the pre-seed or seed stage
- Commitment to addressing decarbonisation, resource efficiency, and conservation management challenges
Stage-Specific Requirements
- Proven post-market entry with a compelling proof of concept (partial prototype)
- Demonstrated product-market fit or market validation
- A dynamic and adaptable team eager to learn and open to mentorship
- Ambitious local hardware applications with global potential
- In-house technical co-founder
- Strong intellectual property foundation
Preferred Sectors
- Circular Economy
- CleanTech Development
- Climate Resilience
- Conservation Management
- Decarbonization
- Eco-friendly Manufacturing
- Ecosystem Services
- Green Infrastructure
- Pollution Prevention
- Resource Efficiency
- Sustainable Agriculture
- Sustainable Energy
- Sustainable Transportation
- Waste Reduction
- Water Sustainability
Key dates
Programme overview
Accepted companies will gain tailored support, including masterclasses from industry experts, bespoke business development services, access to our comprehensive learning management system, and entry into our mentoring and consulting network, all designed to accelerate their growth and success.
The Build Programme is an immersive 6-month journey, offering the following:
Engage in competitive masterclass sessions designed to yield tangible outcomes for your business. These sessions, led by top industry professionals, cover key topics such as fundraising strategies, sales techniques, and navigating the complexities of scaling. Each masterclass is tailored to equip startups with the skills and knowledge needed to accelerate through due diligence and prepare for sustainable growth post-investment.
Savant provides hands-on involvement with each business, assisting in drafting applications, mapping out sales strategies, and navigating operational challenges. We work closely with each startup, providing tailored support to help them achieve key milestones and continue their path to growth.
Access ThinkRoom’s comprehensive Learning Management System (LMS), a knowledge hub tailored to the needs of deep tech and hardware startups. The LMS covers a wide range of essential topics, including sales, product development, team management, fundraising, legal aspects, and intellectual property.
Benefit from targeted one-on-one mentorship sessions with leading experts in science, engineering, and venture entrepreneurship. This bespoke mentorship ensures that companies receive the support they need to overcome obstacles and reach their next milestones.
Gain access to tailored advisory support from Savant’s exclusive network of industry experts. Our team and partners provide hands-on guidance through various growth stages, helping businesses prepare for future funding rounds and ensuring they are equipped with the tools needed for scalability.
Application process
Masterclasses
Throughout the 6 month Savant Build Programme, you will be immersed in our expert curated masterclasses cover a multitude of topics as overviewed below:
Elevating your business to peak investor appeal
Accelerating innovation with intensive hardware development training
Strategising for exponential growth in a competitive marketplace
Fortifying your business with robust legal and IP frameworks
Designing strategies for sustained, measurable societal impact
Streamlining technology choices for maximum efficiency and impact
Investment opportunity
Top-performing companies will receive an equity investment, signalling Savant’s confidence in their potential and demonstrating our commitment to other investors. In addition, companies benefit from supplementary services such as advisory support from Savant’s ecosystem partners and mentorship from the Savant Investment team. This comprehensive support aims to refine their investment case and business strategy, positioning them for successful fundraising and growth beyond the programme.
Build Programme Portfolio Companies
First class Tuberculosis screening technology incorporating a wireless stethoscope and artificial intelligence (AI).
Mushroom Guru is a specialist mushroom cultivation and extraction company in South Africa with its MG-LZ8 nutraceutical products from the Reishi Mushroom.
What our past participants had to say
We have partnered with the best in the industry
