Injini, Africa’s leading EdTech incubator, accelerator and think tank, has launched its EdTech for Employment Incubation Programme, a two-year initiative supporting ten early-stage EdTech companies whose solutions create or support employment pathways for youth aged 15–30 in South Africa.
South Africa’s youth unemployment rate stood at 46.1% in the first quarter of 2026, according to Stats SA, among the highest rates in the world. Behind the number is a structural gap: a shortage of quality vocational and work-readiness pathways connecting young people to the economy.
A growing cohort of EdTech entrepreneurs is already building solutions at this intersection: teacher training platforms, tutoring and mentorship tools, and technologies that prepare young people for economic participation. However, these companies often lack the structured support, market access and proof-of-concept evidence needed to scale.
“South Africa’s youth aren’t short on ambition or ability. We see their ambition and drive. What they need are structured pathways into work,” said Krista Davidson, Executive Director at Injini. “We’ve spent years watching talented EdTech founders build real solutions to this problem, without the support to test what works, prove it, and scale it. This programme is designed to close that gap, for the founders, and for the young people whose futures depend on it.”
Running from October 2026 to September 2028, the programme will support two incubation cohorts of five EdTech companies each. Each cohort cycle begins with a thorough recruitment and selection process, followed by a six-month incubation period built around four pillars: product foundations, business sustainability, market access and impact measurement. Companies receive hands-on support from Injini’s team, complemented by a network of specialist consultants matched to their needs. The programme includes a range of business-building and strengthening support, including opportunities for founders and leaders to network and engage with the ecosystem and potential users.
Over its two-year run, the programme aims to reach 20,000 underserved youth, supporting up to 2,000 to gain work or income-generating opportunities, and create 20 direct jobs within cohort companies.
“We’re looking for EdTech companies that are already doing the hard work of connecting young people to skills and income,” says Davidson. “Over the next two years, we want to give ten of them the structural support, proof points and market access they need to grow.”
The programme is financed by the Zurich-based Leopold Bachmann Foundation.
Recruitment for the first cohort is now officially open. Eligible companies include both non-profit and for-profit EdTech solutions with a clear social impact mandate, with priority given to those working in work-readiness and digital skills, teacher training and professional development, and tutoring or peer-learning models that generate income and employment opportunities for young people.
Interested applicants can learn more and apply at https://www.injini.africa/edtech-for-employment.