‘Stanford Seed help entrepreneurs expand ambitions’
Laone Choeunyane | Wednesday March 18, 2026 06:00
The session, held for Absa’s business banking clients, unpacked the opportunities offered through the programme; a 10-month hybrid leadership and strategy course designed for founders and CEOs of established companies across sub-Saharan Africa. Officials from partner companies emphasised during the session that the programme equips entrepreneurs with strategic tools to strengthen management teams, refine growth strategies and position their companies to compete regionally and globally. Since becoming accessible to Botswana-based entrepreneurs in 2018, 69 Batswana have participated in the programme, a figure partners say they hope to significantly increase through awareness efforts and financial support mechanisms.
Head of Ecosystem Banking at Absa Bank Botswana, Harold Matenge, said their involvement reflects a broader commitment to helping entrepreneurs expand beyond local markets. “We believe that it is time for our entrepreneurs to be supported, to be able to scale up and to compete on a global scale, hence why we are so keen to partner with Stanford Seed,” he said. Matenge noted that while funding is important, access to networks and global knowledge platforms is equally critical for business growth. “Most of the time it will not necessarily be easy for just one SME to go out of their own way to find access to a network like Stanford,” he said. Matenge added that programmes such as Stanford Seed help entrepreneurs expand their ambitions beyond the limitations of domestic markets. “We do not take pride in having our SME clients only being restricted to the jurisdiction that is Botswana or to small growth targets they may have initially set for themselves. Programmes like Stanford Seed expose them to wider parameters and wider experiences,” he explained. Speaking at the session, Vice President of Social Impact and Sustainability at De Beers Group, Otsile Mabeo said entrepreneurship development is central to the company’s strategy for strengthening communities in the regions where it operates. “We’ve identified entrepreneurship development as a key tool for us to develop sustainable livelihoods,” Mabeo said.
“De Beers wants to see how diamonds can have a broader impact on communities where they operate.” She added that the company is supporting access to the programme by subsidising the commitment fee required from participating entrepreneurs, lowering a key financial barrier for applicants. Mabeo also noted that the programme benefits entire management teams, not just individual founders. “At the end, participants develop their own transformation strategy that helps them grow their business across the continent, diversify their offerings and become globally competitive,” she said.
Two graduates of the programme shared first-hand accounts of its impact during the session. Shingi Chaza, founder of Dynamic Road Services, said the network she built through the programme helped her identify and launch a new business line within her company. The venture now accounts for one-third of the company’s total revenue, an opportunity she said would not have materialised without taking the step to apply. Meanwhile, Nitab Bhagat of Village Imaging highlighted the unique access participants gain to world-class academic expertise. “You would be in the same room as Stanford lecturers: the best lecturers in the US. Where else do you get that?” she said. Bhagat added that two case studies conducted by Stanford students on her business helped her see operational insights she had not previously recognised. Applications for the 2027 cohort of the Stanford Seed Transformation Program run until 1 May 2026, with the programme scheduled to take place from January to November 2027. Organisers say they hope the latest engagement will encourage more Botswana entrepreneurs to take advantage of the opportunity and join the growing network of African businesses scaling through the initiative.