100 Talents in 2027: Help Us Fund Our Biggest Cohort Yet
Nearly 1,000 women applied for 100 places in our 2027 cohort. Now we need the funding to bring them to campus.
In January 2027, we’ll welcome our largest-ever group of Talents to our residential tech campus in Bukerere, Uganda. Nearly 1,000 young women applied. The women are now waiting for their chance to become women in tech.
Closing the Opportunity Gap in African Tech
Africa has no shortage of talent – it’s home to the youngest population worldwide. But access to the opportunities that turn talent into a career remains deeply unequal.
Especially for young women, financial barriers, limited access to technology and a lack of professional networks still make entering the tech industry difficult.
Groundbreaker Talents was built to change that.
Since 2023, we have trained 153 women in software and AI engineering at our fully residential tech campus in Bukerere, Uganda. Our one-year program removes the practical barriers that often stand between talent and opportunity by providing technical training, accommodation, meals, a laptop, internet access, mentorship and career support.
No previous coding experience is required, because we believe talent and potential matter more than prior access to technology.
What Our Impact Data Shows
Our results are why we are scaling the program for 2027.
Among the Talents trained since 2023:
- 98% got employed as tech professionals within three months of graduation
- Graduates achieve an average 22× increase in monthly income with their first jobs
- 81% are employed by African tech companies
- 93% successfully graduate from the program
- 1/3 of graduate income flows back to support their families
That last figure shows how far the impact of one career extends.
A first salary can help a parent start a business, cover a sibling’s school fees or give a household greater financial stability. The change starts with one person building a career — but it rarely ends there.
Cohort 2 alumna Juliet Nakawesi, now a Software Engineer at Redsalt Angel Investment Network, describes what that meant for her family:
“With my first salaries, I cleared every loan my mother had taken out for us over the years. And I use my income to fund projects at home like piggery, poultry and farming that generate an additional sustainable income stream.”
Nearly 1,000 Women, 100 Places
As part of the final stage of the application process, selected applicants come to our campus in Bukerere for an in-person interview and written assessment. It’s also their first opportunity to meet the Groundbreaker team and get a feel for the campus where the one-year residential training takes place.
60 Places Still Need Funding
For Cohort 7, we want to train 100 women in one intake. Funding for 40 places is secured, leaving 60 still to fund before January 2027.
Every donation goes directly toward residential training in software and AI engineering: accommodation, meals, laptops, mentorship, and career support. A private donor covers our administrative costs, so 100% of this campaign’s donations go straight into the training.
We’re looking for individuals, companies and foundations to help close the gap and create a pathway into tech for women who already have the ambition, but not yet the access.
The applications are in. Now, funding will determine how many of these young talented women can take the next step.
Support the 100 Talents for 2027 campaign →
Talent is universal. Opportunity is not. Until now.
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