Overview

Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) is a highly competitive two-year training program for ambitious graduates with an interest in technology and a desire to start their own companies. Our objective is to cultivate and develop software entrepreneurs in order to create wealth & employment locally in Africa.

Semester 1

• Develop an understanding of the process to start a successful company
• Learn the basics of programming

Semester 2

• Write a credible business plan
• Develop a prototype utilizing the full software development life cycle

Semester 3

• Generate and develop potential business opportunities, evaluate viability and write preliminary business plans
• Implement software development projects solicited from external parties

Semester 4

• Develop a prototype and business plan
• Prepare for launching your business or applying to the Meltwater Incubator

Software Development

Entrepreneurs-in-training (EITs) attend lectures and labs in Product Development and Technology and complete assigned readings. The bulk of the work is demonstrated through monthly software project assignments.

EITs gain skills in:

• Web related technologies (HTML, Javascript, CSS)
• Programming languages and concepts (PHP, Java, OOP)
• Software Development Tools (Eclipse IDE, SVN, Bugzilla)
• Databases (MySQL, SQL)
• Open source (Drupal)

Additional learning objectives include:

• Managing software development projects
• Using iterative development processes
• Applying visual modeling techniques
• Utilizing UML artifacts
• Estimating effort for software development tasks
• Utilizing an integrative approach to software design and construction

Entrepreneurship

This portion of the program consists of lectures, workshops, readings, and assignments.

The main objective is to gain an understanding of the process of turning an idea into a business while developing practical skills in communication, human resources, marketing, finance, and sales.

EITs also gain practical experience in team work such as making decisions, solving problems, resolving conflict, and evaluating peers.

Learning objectives include:

• Crafting and delivering elevator pitches
• Generating and scrutinizing business ideas
• Analyzing a business in the context of competitive forces
• Writing a business plan
• Delivering business presentations
• Recruiting and hiring, screening CVs/resumes, conducting phone interviews, and participating in interviews

Seminar

The MEST seminar is a collaborative learning environment where EITs share observations and insights about a topic in group discussions. After completing a reading assignment, they question assumptions, explore a diversity of perspectives, and exchange ideas and opinions with others

Learning objectives include:

• Thinking critically and listening actively
• Researching and analyzing
• Improving written and oral communication

EITs read a variety of books, some of which include:

• The Art of the Start, by Guy Kawasaki
• The Cathedral and The Bazaar, by Eric Raymond
• From Good to Great, by Jim Collins
• The World is Flat, by Thomas Friedman
• The Purple Cow, by Seth Godin
• The Design of Everyday Things, by Don Norman
• A Whole New Mind, by Daniel Pink

Guest Lectures

Four times per year, executives and entrepreneurs from successful companies and organizations around the world arrive at MEST to share their stories and lessons learned with our trainees. The guest lecture series is an important part of the training; EITs get exposure to the international business arena. To become involved in the guest lecture series, read more here.