Microsoft partners CcHub on launch of entrepreneurial mentorship program

Young Nigerians with creative ideas and an ambition to turn them into innovation that will drive positive change in their communities has been thrown a lifeline to actualize those dreams with the debut recently of WINsiders4good Fellowship by Microsoft in collaboration with Co-Creation Hub.
The Winsiders4Good, an entrepreneurial mentorship program, will support twenty Nigerian entrepreneurs seeking to improve the lives of Nigerians.
The announcement, a global first for Nigeria and Africa, was according to Microsoft, the first step by the program to deepen relationship with the continent. By partnering with the Co-creation Hub, Microsoft will create opportunities for young Nigerian entrepreneurs with brilliant ideas that desires to change society.
Bambo Sofola, Director of Software Engineering, Microsoft Corp noted that WINsiders4Good aims at how to use technology to solve complex problems.
“We have thousands of Windows Insiders in Nigeria, and tens of thousands across Africa. We want to collaborate more closely with them and other Windows users to make this a truly international product.
“One in seven Africans is Nigeria, computer usage is soaring, and tech centres like Yaba represent a manifestation of that growth. We think it is a great time and place to learn from like-minded techies and entrepreneurs who are solving complex problems and creating opportunities in Lagos and Nigeria,” Sofola said.
The company said in a statement to BusinessDay that application for the WINsiders4Good Fellowship was on and will close on 10 October, 2016. Applications can be done online.

Entrepreneurs who qualify for the fellowship program will receive Microsoft hardware, software and six months of tailored technical mentorship to help bring their innovative ideas to life, while also allowing also granting them access to the world’s largest community of people who use simple technology to solve problems.
“Microsoft and CcHub will connect entrepreneurs to a global community of people like them, prioritize and fix the technical issues that can hinder them from reaching their goal, provide mentors for technical and strategic questions for six months, and provide hardware and software to bring their ideas to life,” Sofola said.
Femi Longe, Co-Founder, Co-Creation Hub said the partnership was birthed by the need to create platforms that will help young Nigerians access and conquer the future being defined by technology.
“Collaborating with Microsoft will allow entrepreneurs across Nigeria to expand their possibilities, while exposing them to other entrepreneurs in the global space, which will eventually increase their competitive chances,” Longe said.

FRANK ELEANYA