For underrepresented founders in SA, AWS announces the launch of its fourth round of funding

South African startups are encouraged to submit applications for up to ZAR7.5 million (US $400,000) in seed funding and benefits from the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Equity Equivalent Investment Programme (AWS EEIP) to help them launch their companies.

The AWS EEIP program was established in 2019 with the goal of promoting greater equity and inclusion in the ecosystem for small and medium-sized businesses in South Africa. The 2023 AWS EEIP intake will prioritize choosing black owned and led early-stage startups in order to promote diversity and enable more creative South African startups to launch, scale, and grow.

The program will give early-stage startups that are owned and operated by people of color the tools they need to create “best in class” products for their clients using the AWS cloud.

To lessen the pressure of competing priorities with funding, founders in the program can receive up to ZAR7.5 million (US $400,000) in funding and program benefits over 24 months.

To support the expansion of their business, the capital will be used to hire and develop the best team, pay for office space, and cover other administrative costs. Additionally, startups will be given AWS technical service credits to help them develop and deploy their solutions as well as business consulting services to help them with their ‘Go To Market’ strategy.

You can apply until tomorrow at 11:59 PM SAST.