2024 Programme
Applications now open!
All participants notified by August 25th, 2024
Apply Here
Overview
Selected participants will go through a 14-week hybrid program designed to educate and empower the African Diaspora with entrepreneurial skills. With a focus on design-thinking, prototyping in VR and business fundamentals, participants are equipped to nurture an idea and pitch it as a business opportunity using VR to demo and prototype.
Program Structure
Each week, the cohort will be required to attend a workshop for 1.5 hours where they will receive verbal content and hands-on practice with VR hardware. Remotely, the cohort will be expected to engage with their peers and other interested community members about the program and its content through Discord. All program content and materials will be hosted on Notion where the cohort will be able to remotely view and download curriculum material, resources and content.
This includes their Personal Development Plan (PDP) material, workshop content and notes. It is estimated that each participate will need 15-20 hours a week to complete the program successfully.
Learning Outcomes
Understand the history and current efforts in the VR industry
Virtual reality design fundamentals (story-worlds, immersion, interaction, mechanics)
Using VR as a solution for business and community problems
How to create a new VR project using VR equipment
Understand how to tap into your remote and IRL network to collaborate and build projects
Remote project management techniques
Understand your personal learning style and approach to gaining support in.
To teach participants how to frame a business problem and pitch their solution encompassing the fundamentals of an effective pitch using VR as a part of their solution
Offer a marginalized perspective in regards to the VR industry, story-telling and leadership in the space
Highlight and introduce Afro-diasporic and Black-intersectional VR leaders to help build industry network with these communities
Offer insight to navigate emerging and existing opportunities in the VR industry and grounding their problems around solving VR challenges
Create visibility opportunities, living and growing content as well as findings, reports, and analysis of the program