Tanzania Ventures Lab (Energy & Mining cohort)

Tanzania Ventures Lab is a national, four-year venture acceleration and innovation commercialisation programme run with COSTECH and Sahara Ventures. This listing covers its first cohort, which is for startups in Tanzania's energy (Nishati Accelerator) and mining (Madini Accelerator) sectors. The last intake closed on 15 June 2026.

Nishati (energy) track: renewable energy, clean cooking, energy efficiency, energy storage, grid innovation and carbon solutions.
Madini (mining) track: mineral exploration technologies, value addition and processing, ESG-compliant mining, and supply-chain digitisation.

Who it's for: ventures registered in Tanzania with at least 51% Tanzanian ownership, at minimum viable product (MVP) stage or beyond with early traction, revenue potential of at least TZS 500 million a year within 3–5 years, and at least one founder available full-time. Priority is given to youth-led ventures (founders under 35), women-led ventures, ventures based outside Dar es Salaam, university research commercialisation, and climate-smart solutions.

What it offers: bootcamps, technical diagnosis and mentorship, investor-readiness support (financial modelling and pitch preparation), and market access including follow-on funding and procurement opportunities, culminating in public Demo Days for both the energy and mining tracks. The programme does not publish a cash amount or equity terms.

Applications were made through the Energy and Mining cohort form linked from tanzaniaventureslab.co.tz. The last intake closed on 15 June 2026.