One of the key strands of the project VOICES is the creation of a training lab that can foster entrepreneurs and students on how to create mobile and web services, with a specific attention on sustainable business models. We are finally happy to say that – in collaboration with CTIC Dakar, JokkoLabs and ESMT – we are organizing the first training session for January-March 2012.
This is an exciting step, for many reasons; among the others: it will be our first project of such kind in French-speaking countries; it is a project that has managed to raise the interest of many companies and organizations both in Senegal and in Europe, already; the collaboration – as part of VOICES – with TNO, PT Inovação, CRS4 and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is giving the project a solid framework for the training, and a new series of insights on different models to organize the lab in order to make it self-sustainable.
In putting together the training, we have capitalized on the experience gained in Ghana and Kenya, and we have decided to experiment a little bit with the format: the training will consist of four weeks of day courses. After each week of training, the participants will have 2 weeks to practice and further develop a project that they will present at the end. In this way, participants not only have time to work on the projects to present, but they could also dedicate some time to some side jobs and freelancing (or their full-time job maybe).
The training is split into three tracks:
- Technology track: Voice, SMS, Mobile Web services and applications, prototyping platforms;
- Business track: business models, revenue, dealing with operators, intellectual property;
- Design track: understanding your customers, structuring your service, making your service useful, usable, and engaging.
The applications are open: we are looking for entrepreneurs, developers, designers and in general people who are passionate about leveraging mobile phone technology to develop applications that will bring useful service to local communities and create prosperous businesses. So, are you passionate about mobile technologies? Do you have an idea for a new web or mobile service that could change Senegal, Africa and the world? Do you want to become an entrepreneur, but you don’t know exactly how to do it? This is the opportunity for you:
In English: http://mvoices.eu/mes/call-for-participation
In French: http://mvoices.eu/fr/ems/candidature