Pharo Venture Studio Kigali - Founder Residency

Pharo Ventures Rwanda is inviting ambitious founders and builders to join its first Founder Residency cohort: a five-week journey designed to help participants explore, test, and shape new agriculture ventures for the Rwandan market. Post-residency, selected founder pairs will co-build companies from the ground up with Pharo, accessing capital, operational support, mentorship, shared services, and a structured pathway from idea validation to launch.

What the Studio offers founders

Pharo Ventures Studio is a venture co-building platform for founders who want to solve hard problems in Rwanda’s agriculture sector by building real businesses. Unlike a traditional accelerator or training programme, the Studio does not simply advise from the outside. It works alongside founders to identify opportunities, validate ideas, build prototypes, and launch investable companies.

Founder value proposition

Selected founders receive a comprehensive support package designed to reduce the barriers to building a venture full-time and increase their chances of launching a viable company.

The package includes:

Up to US$150,000 in venture-building capital, released in line with agreed milestones and venture needs

• Dedicated operational support from the Studio team
• Office space and infrastructure in Kigali
• Expert mentorship, strategic guidance, and venture-building support
• Access to shared services, including Finance, HR, Legal, Marketing, and Research

Founders begin with a meaningful minority ownership stake in the venture, with the opportunity to increase their equity as the company reaches agreed milestones and grows over time. The final equity structure will be confirmed during the selection process and should be reviewed with candidates before full-time commitment.

Your journey through recruitment

The recruitment journey is designed to help applicants understand the opportunity, demonstrate their fit, and experience the Studio’s co-building approach before final selection. Applicants can expect the following steps:

• An online application 
• A video submission
• A founder assessment 
• Structured interview round
• Residency 

The Founder Residency is the heart and last piece of the process. Over five Saturdays, invited candidates move through a structured journey: orientation, field immersion, founder pairing, venture development, and Pitch Day. Every founder invited into the Residency completes the full five-week experience before final selection, giving candidates the opportunity to learn, build, and demonstrate fit through the full journey.

What to expect at each step

Step 

What applicants can expect 

1. Application intake and eligibility review 

Applicants submit their materials and are reviewed against the core eligibility criteria, including agricultural domain experience, Rwanda nationality or legal residency, ability to commit full-time for 18–24 months if selected, and comfort with a minority equity structure. 

2. Video submission 

Shortlisted applicants submit a short video explaining why they want to build in agriculture in Rwanda and what problem they would be excited to solve if they had support to do so. 

3. Founder assessment 

Candidates may complete a founder assessment to help the team understand working style, motivation, communication, numerical reasoning, and comfort with ambiguity. 

4. Structured interviews 

Selected candidates join structured interviews with the Studio and relevant experts to explore their experience, motivation, commitment, founder potential, and fit with the venture-building model. 

5. Founder Residency 

Invited candidates complete the full five-Saturday Residency journey before final selection. The Residency includes orientation, field immersion, founder pairing, venture development, and Pitch Day. 

6. Post-selection venture build 

Selected founders enter a validation stage, followed by MVP build-out and venture-building support, subject to approval and milestone progress. 

Important note: Participation in the Founder Residency is not a guarantee of final selection. However, every candidate invited into the Residency will experience the full five-week journey and get a chance to make a case for their fit for the studio before Pitch Day decisions are made.

Founder Residency experience

The Residency is designed as an immersive founder journey, not just a selection exercise. Participants spend five Saturdays moving from understanding the opportunity to testing ideas, building with others, and presenting a venture concept at Pitch Day.

• Orientation: Understand the Studio model, the agriculture opportunity, and what it takes to co-build a venture with Pharo.
• Field immersion: Engage directly with real agricultural contexts, customers, and operational realities.
• Founder pairing: Explore complementary working styles and potential co-founder matches. Applicants do not need to apply with a partner; Pharo will facilitate pairing during the process. If applicants already have a preferred partner, each person must apply separately.
• Venture development: Work with experts and Studio team members to refine problems, test assumptions, and shape a venture concept.
• Pitch Day: Present the venture opportunity and founder fit for final selection.

The Residency gives candidates a practical understanding of the venture-building process and gives Pharo a richer view of each founder’s strengths, commitment, and ability to build in partnership.

Who should apply

Rwanda nationals or legal residents, or applicants willing and able to relocate to Rwanda for the programme and venture-building period.

• Founders with meaningful agriculture experience in Rwanda, strong adjacent experience
• People who understand the Rwandan market and the realities of building for local customers.
• Builders who are excited by co-building, open to being paired with a complementary founder, and able to work through ambiguity and iteration.
• Applicants willing to commit full-time to the venture-building journey for 18–24 months if selected.
• Founders who are motivated by building a long-term company, not only completing a programme.

How to apply

Qualified applicants should submit the following:

• A detailed CV showing relevant experience, achievements, and referees’ 
• Details of any preferred co-founder or builder partner, if applicable. Please be advised that each preferred partner must also submit a separate application. Every founder will be rated based on their own merit throughout the selection process. 

Please note that only shortlisted founders will be contacted due to the high volume of applications received.

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to promoting diversity, inclusion, and gender equality in all its practices. We encourage applications from qualified individuals regardless of race, gender, religion, or background.