Are you an entrepreneur from a low or middle-income Commonwealth country with an innovative startup that’s gaining momentum? Here’s your chance to accelerate your impact and join a global community of changemakers!
Applications for the second cohort of the Commonwealth Startup Fellowship 2025, jointly delivered by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) and Imperial College London, open this June—and it’s an opportunity you won’t want to miss.
What is the Commonwealth Startup Fellowship?
This prestigious six (06) months fellowship is tailored to support and scale early-stage startups that are actively innovating across sectors. With a hybrid structure—featuring both online modules and immersive, in-person experiences—the fellowship is designed to build entrepreneurial capacity, global networking, and strategic business skills. A key highlight of the program is a two-week intensive bootcamp in Accra, Ghana, scheduled from 14–30 November 2025, followed by potential participation in capstone events in London for select participants.
The ultimate goal? To help entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses, scale their impact, and contribute to economic growth and job creation in their home countries.
Fellowship Benefits and Financial Support
Selected fellows will receive a wide range of support to ensure they can focus on growing their business without financial burden. The fellowship includes:
- Fully-funded round-trip travel to attend the Accra bootcamp
- Accommodation, catering, and local transportation for the full duration of the bootcamp
- Visa application fee reimbursement
- Vaccination cost reimbursement
- Access to a Fellow’s Grant Fund to support business or fellowship-related expenses
- Disability support funding (subject to needs assessment)
This holistic support ensures that each entrepreneur can engage in the program fully and equitably.
Who Can Apply?
To be eligible for the Commonwealth Startup Fellowship, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Be a graduate-level individual
- Be a citizen of (or have refugee status in) a low or middle-income Commonwealth country
- Be permanently residing in an eligible country
- Have fluent written and spoken English
- Must not have received a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship in the last 5 years
- Be available to participate in the fellowship as scheduled
In addition to the basic criteria, successful applicants will show:
- Innovation in their product, service, or market strategy
- Active business development for at least 6 months
- A working minimum viable product, service, or prototype
- Proof of customer traction – such as early sales, pre-sales, signed contracts, or similar evidence.
The CSC strongly encourages applications from individuals of all backgrounds and is committed to equal opportunity and inclusive participation, including for applicants with disabilities.
Apply: https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/scholarships/commonwealth-startup-fellowship-information-for-candidates/
Application Timeline
Applications for Cohort Two open on 2 June 2025 at 10:00am BST and close on 30 June 2025 at 04:00pm BST.