The Commonwealth Startup Fellowship 2025 is a six-month programme built to help high-potential, early-stage startups from low and middle-income Commonwealth countries scale their businesses. It’s sponsored by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) and delivered by Imperial College London, combining an in-person bootcamp in Accra, Ghana, with five months of ongoing online training, coaching, and mentorship.
The programme covers your return travel to Ghana, your accommodation and meals while there, your visa application fee, vaccination costs, and access to a Fellow’s Grant Fund to support your business directly. You need to be a graduate, fluent in English, and a citizen or permanent resident of an eligible Commonwealth country, with a working minimum viable product and real evidence that customers want what you’re building, such as early sales or signed contracts.
Twenty startups are selected each cohort, with one founder or team member representing each business at the in-person bootcamp, which ran from 14 to 30 November 2025. The strongest fellows may also be invited to London in early 2026 for further networking and investor events. The application deadline for this cycle was 30 June 2025 at 4:00 PM BST.
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Summary of the Commonwealth Startup Fellowship 2025
| Scholarship Name ⇒ | Commonwealth Startup Fellowship |
| Host Country ⇒ | United Kingdom |
| Study Level ⇒ | Fellowship |
| Benefits ⇒ | Return travel, in-country accommodation and meals, visa fee reimbursement, vaccination cost coverage, business grant access, extra support for fellows with disabilities |
| Funded By ⇒ | Commonwealth Scholarships |
| Eligible Countries ⇒ | Commonwealth low and middle-income countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, India, Pakistan, South Africa, and others |
| Application Deadline ⇒ | 30 June 2025, 4:00 PM BST |
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About the Commonwealth Startup Fellowship
The Commonwealth Startup Fellowship launched in 2024 as a partnership between the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and Imperial College London’s Enterprise Lab, with backing from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Its first cohort selected 20 founders out of roughly 1,400 applicants, and demand grew further for the second cohort, with more than 1,800 applications competing for the same number of places. Past Fellows have built ventures spanning agritech, clean energy, the circular economy, health, and education, and several have gone on to pitch directly to investors at events hosted at Imperial College London and the Commonwealth Secretariat’s headquarters. Robin Mason, Chair of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the University of Birmingham, has described the programme as a way to nurture the Commonwealth’s next generation of business leaders and job creators, while Imperial delivers the bootcamp through its Enterprise Lab and Imperial Global Ghana teams.
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What the Commonwealth Startup Fellowship 2025 Covers
The programme provides:
- A return travel ticket from your home country to Accra, Ghana, for the in-person bootcamp
- All in-country costs during the bootcamp, including accommodation, local travel, and meals
- Reimbursement for the cost of a standard visa application
- Coverage of vaccination expenses needed to meet travel health requirements
- Access to a Fellow’s Grant Fund to support your business’s development
- Additional resources for fellows with disabilities
Beyond the bootcamp, fellows get five months of online coaching, expert-led sessions, and peer connections with founders and mentors from across the Commonwealth. Selected fellows may also be invited to London for capstone events where they pitch to investors and industry leaders.
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Eligibility Requirements for the Commonwealth Startup Fellowship 2025
To apply, you must:
- Be a graduate
- Be a citizen of, or hold refugee status from, an eligible low or middle-income Commonwealth country
- Be a permanent resident of an eligible Commonwealth country
- Be fluent in written and spoken English
- Not have undertaken a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship in the past five years
- Be fully available to participate in the programme from its official start date
- Have at least six months of active development on your business, with clear commitment from your team
- Have a functioning minimum viable product, prototype, or service
- Show strong evidence of market traction, such as early sales, signed contracts, or clear customer demand
The eligible countries for this cycle include Bangladesh, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Dominica, Eswatini, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, St Helena, St Lucia, St Vincent and The Grenadines, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, and Zambia. The programme is built on equal opportunity and non-discrimination, with specific support available for applicants with disabilities.
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Required Documents for the Commonwealth Startup Fellowship
You’ll need to prepare:
- A completed online application form
- An educational certificate, BSc or Master’s
- Your resume or CV
- A valid passport
- A company overview or pitch deck
- Evidence of customer engagement, such as early sales, signed contracts, letters of intent, or user data
- Proof of a working minimum viable product, through product demos, service links, or a prototype
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How to Apply for the Commonwealth Startup Fellowship 2025
- Visit the official Commonwealth Startup Fellowship website to review the programme in full.
- Study the guidelines carefully so you understand the structure and expectations of the six-month programme.
- Gather every required document before you start the form, since the application cannot be edited once submitted.
- Complete the online application form.
- Submit your application before the deadline.
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Application Deadline
The deadline for this cycle was 30 June 2025 at 4:00 PM BST. Only one founder or team member needs to represent each startup, and the in-person bootcamp ran from 14 to 30 November 2025 in Accra, Ghana.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Commonwealth Startup Fellowship fully funded?
It covers your return travel, in-country accommodation and meals, visa fee, and vaccination costs, plus access to a separate grant fund for your business. It is not a personal living stipend on top of these costs.
Can any Commonwealth entrepreneur apply?
Only entrepreneurs from low and middle-income Commonwealth countries on the eligible list, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, India, and several others. High-income Commonwealth countries are not part of this cohort.
Do I need a fully built business to apply?
You need a functioning minimum viable product, prototype, or service, with at least six months of active development and real evidence that customers want it, such as early sales or signed contracts. Ideas alone, without something built and tested, are not eligible.
How many startups are selected each cohort?
Twenty startups are selected per cohort. Past cycles have been highly competitive, with one earlier round drawing around 1,800 applications for the same 20 places.
Does the whole founding team travel to Ghana?
No. One founder or team member represents each selected startup at the in-person bootcamp, while the rest of the team can take part in the online portion of the programme.
What happens after the bootcamp in Ghana?
Fellows continue with five months of online training, coaching, and mentorship, and the strongest performing teams may be invited to London for further networking and investor events.
Disclaimer: All fellowship details, deadlines, award values, and eligibility criteria were taken from the source material provided, with some additional background verified from the official websites. Information is subject to change without notice. Always confirm the latest details directly on the official source before submitting your application.
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