Kuhusu

TerraFoundry is a 6-month programme delivered by FSAT Labs (French South African Tech Labs), designed to identify, incubate, and accelerate the Western Cape’s most promising climate tech and green economy startups. Each cohort takes 20 carefully selected startups through a structured two-phase journey.

Location: Western Cape, South Africa (Century City, Cape Town)

The programme start date is not available yet.

Programme Structure

Phase 1: Digital Support and Incubation (3 months, online) Expert-led masterclasses on growth, fundraising and technology; MVP development and market validation support; and pitch deck development and investment readiness.

Phase 2: Market Access and Investment (3 months, in-person) Available to the top 5-10 shortlisted startups, this phase includes live pitching at the TerraFoundry Demo Day to active investors; participation at the AfricArena Grand Summit in Cape Town; and soft landing support for regional and international markets.

What Participants Receive

• USD 5,000 in AWS Cloud Credits (12 months)
• USD 1,500 in Zoho Suite Credits (12 months, full CRM and business suite access)
• USD 12,000 in Genspark AI Credits throughout the programme
• Dedicated one-on-one coaching with climate tech, business growth and investment experts
• Weekly masterclasses with industry guest speakers, coaches and mentors from the FSAT Labs network
• Full support from the FSAT Labs team throughout the programme
• Demo Day investor pitching to a curated audience of active investors and partners
• Access to FSAT Labs Co-Innovation Space in Century City twice weekly

Climate Tech Focus Areas

Clean energy, waste management, circularity, water management, climate monitoring, e-mobility and EVs, built environments and sustainable cities, sustainable agriculture, and carbon mitigation and trade.

Eligibility Criteria

• Physically registered and operating in the Western Cape province, South Africa, with a verifiable address
• Formally registered with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC)
• Established company (approximately 1 year or more)
• Climate mitigation focus aligned with one of the eligible green and climate tech sectors
• At least one co-founder committed full-time to the business during the programme period
• Evidence of traction such as a pilot, revenue, grants, or B2B letters of intent (LOIs)
• A software, digital, or technology component must be integral to the solution or business model
• Pre-revenue (R0) or post-revenue (approximately R150,000 per year or more)
• Scalable and innovative business and product solution

How to Apply

Applications are submitted online. Please have your pitch deck ready to upload. The application takes approximately 25-35 minutes to complete.