KILNKILN KILN.
Applications open · Algiers · 3–7 December 2026

KILN.

Build it here.ابنِه هنا

Africa's AI and deep tech hackathon. Four weeks of qualification, five days in Algiers, one stage.

3–7 December 2026 · in-market programme Algiers · Algeria 5–7 December · inside the African Startup Conference, CICA
Apply as a team Partner with KILN Applications close 16 October 2026
5
days in market, three of them inside the ASC
4 weeks
virtual bootcamp before anyone travels
5
tracks — four sectors plus one open category
US$60,000
the ceiling on six-month soft landing support for the winning venture
US$5m
potential deployment from a jury bench managing over US$500m
In proud partnership with
African Startup Conference 2026
CICA, Algiers · 5–7 December 2026
Why Algiers, why December

A trade moment, not a demo day.

The African Startup Conference runs at the International Conference Centre in Algiers from 5 to 7 December 2026, convened by Algeria's government with the AfCFTA Secretariat. KILN puts a build track inside it.

The room is already the right room

ASC is positioned around African startups and SMEs, investment and regional collaboration under the AfCFTA industrialisation agenda. Teams that finish KILN pitch into that, not into an empty hall.

North–South, on purpose

Algiers is the venue, not the ceiling. The 2026 edition is delivered by partners in Algeria and South Africa, with Salvy VentureCorp joining from Nigeria, because the market access question is a cross-border one.

Built, not pitched

The output is prototypes, proofs of concept and running code. Sponsors submit real operational problems and leave with working artefacts against them.

Precedent. The 2025 edition ran at the CIC in Algiers with Algeria's Minister of Startups present — 200 teams registered, 16 selected.
The programme

Qualify. Fire. Finale.

Three stages over two months. The December place is contingent on the November work, which is why the cohort finishes.

Stage 01
November 2026 · four weeks, four sessions

Bootcamp

Virtual, delivered jointly across the national cohorts so one session reaches founders in three markets at once. Venture fundamentals, productisation, pitch and commercial readiness. Attendance and completion recorded against each participant. Not everyone who starts travels.

Stage 02
3–4 December 2026 · Algiers

Firing

The build. Teams arrive on 2 December, and the in-market programme opens on the 3rd with intensive prototyping, mentoring and access to AI infrastructure. This is where a qualified idea becomes an artefact that exists.

Stage 03
5–7 December 2026 · CICA, inside the African Startup Conference

Finale

Demos and pitches on the floor of the ASC, judged by an investor panel drawn from funds across Algiers, Lagos, Cape Town, Paris and Tokyo. Winners carry into a six-month market-entry landing in 2027 rather than stopping at the applause.

Tracks

Four sectors, plus one open category.

Chosen because they are where the continent's dependency is most expensive to keep importing.

HealthTechDiagnostics, care delivery, health data and systems that work inside real clinical environments.
BiotechBioprocessing, diagnostics manufacture, agricultural and industrial biology.
AgriTechYield, input efficiency, cold chain, traceability. Food sovereignty, not food apps.
FinTechCross-border payments, SME credit, market infrastructure under AfCFTA.
Open CategoryA real operational challenge submitted by a sponsor. Teams build against a named problem with a named owner.
What the winners get
Soft landing support worth up to
US$60,000

Six months of soft landing support, not a cheque and a handshake.

This is support, not prize money. The winning venture gets six months of structured market entry into markets it has never sold in, delivered by the three organising partners, SNDBX Innovation Centre, DjazairIA and Salvy VentureCorp, and funded by them rather than from public money. Outcomes are tracked for those six months.

Cape Town · up to US$30,000 of supportSix months of market entry into South Africa — introductions, compliance, customer development and workspace, delivered by SNDBX Innovation Centre.
Algiers · up to US$30,000 of supportSix months of market entry into Algeria, hosted and delivered by DjazairIA.
Lagos · up to US$30,000 of supportSix months of market entry into Nigeria, hosted and delivered by Salvy VentureCorp.

Judged by investors

A jury bench is being assembled from funds managing over US$500 million across five markets, with the capacity to deploy up to US$5 million into ventures coming out of the programme. Confirmations in progress.

Sponsor prizes

Category and named prizes sit alongside the main award — hosting, infrastructure and risk review among those in discussion.

Six months of contact

Outcomes are tracked for six months past the finale. What the cohort does afterwards is the measure, not what it demos on the day.

Who should apply

A highly selective process. Start early and put your best work forward.

Selection is on merit, against a weighted scorecard judged by an independent jury. Places are not sold and none are reserved. Only selected teams go into the November bootcamp, which is the preparation for Algiers — and every session in that series has to be attended online for a team to be in contention for December.

What every team needs, in any country

National cohorts

Each partner selects its own national cohort against the same universal criteria and the same weighted scorecard. Country-specific eligibility is set by the partner running that selection.

South AfricaOpen
Selected by SNDBX Innovation Centre

Ten to twenty South African founders travel as a named delegation, with outcomes reported to programme partners.

  • Registered South African entity, trading, with a tax compliance status pin
  • Validated domestically and not yet exporting — the first cross-border market is the point
  • A director or founder with contracting authority able to travel 2–8 December
  • Valid passport with at least six months remaining
  • Willing to be named in cohort reporting and to have outcomes tracked for six months

Turnover under R40 million, and majority black ownership or turnover under R5 million, are tested separately, along with women and youth ownership, which some funders prioritise. They decide whether a delegate place can be funded or supported by a corporate enterprise development contribution, or a government department, public agency or an entity they fund or are affiliated with. They do not affect selection, and the jury does not see them.

Travel costs. Delegates are expected to cover their own travel and accommodation. We are working to secure flights and accommodation through enterprise development and corporate sponsorship, but this is not guaranteed and no place depends on it.
Apply from South Africa
AlgeriaOpen
Selected by DjazairIA

The home cohort. Algiers is the host city, so the December programme involves no international travel for Algerian teams.

  • Same universal criteria and the same weighted scorecard as every other cohort
  • Available for all four online bootcamp sessions across November
  • Available in Algiers for the full in-market programme, 3–7 December
  • Willing to be named in cohort reporting and to have outcomes tracked for six months

Country eligibility and cohort size for Algerian teams are set by DjazairIA.

Apply from Algeria
NigeriaOpen
Selected by Salvy VentureCorp

Up to ten Nigerian teams travel to Algiers as a delegation coordinated by Salvy VentureCorp.

  • Same universal criteria and the same weighted scorecard as every other cohort
  • Available for all four online bootcamp sessions across November
  • A director or founder able to travel to Algiers, 2–8 December
  • Valid passport with at least six months remaining
  • Willing to be named in cohort reporting and to have outcomes tracked for six months

Country eligibility and cohort size for Nigerian teams are set by Salvy VentureCorp.

Travel costs. Teams arrange and fund their own travel and accommodation unless separately supported. No place depends on travel support.
Apply from Nigeria

Key dates

Now – 16 Oct
Applications open. Team, product, track and market entry intent.
16 October
Applications close. Late entries are not reviewed.
Late October
Jury review and selection. National cohorts confirmed and notified.
November
Bootcamp. Four weeks, four sessions, all cohorts together.
2 December
Arrival in Algiers. Prep day.
3–4 December
The build. Prototyping, mentoring, infrastructure access.
5–7 December
African Startup Conference. Demos, pitches and the finale at CICA.
2027
Market-entry landings. Six months, tracked.

Apply

Choose your country first. Each national cohort is selected by its own partner, and your application goes only to that partner's selection team. It takes about five minutes.

South African applications are received and reviewed by SNDBX Innovation Centre.

Your team
What you're building
Something has to exist already. Slides alone don't qualify.
Links Optional

Anything that helps the selection team see what you've built and who is building it. Check that each link works without a login. The jury sees only your pitch deck.

A Google Drive, Dropbox or DocSend link, set so anyone with the link can view. The jury sees this one.
YouTube, Vimeo, Loom or similar. Unlisted is fine.
One per line, up to five.
Press, app store listings, publications or awards. One per line, up to three.
Key challenges

We use this to shape the November bootcamp workshops around what teams are actually building. The jury doesn't see it.

Choose up to three.
South African eligibility
For the director or founder who would travel.
Funded travel places Optional

These answers are used only to check whether a delegate place can be funded or supported by a corporate enterprise development contribution, or a government department, public agency or an entity they fund or are affiliated with. Some of these prioritise women-owned and youth-owned businesses. They don't affect selection, and the jury never sees them.

Neither tick affects selection. Without the second, we can't put your team forward for a funded or supported place.

Commitment and consent
How your information is handled

Responsible party. SNDBX Innovation Centre (Pty) Ltd, registration 2024/598410/07, 10 Le Chalet, Avonlea Close, Cape Town, 7441.

Why we collect it. To select the South African cohort, deliver the programme, report outcomes and, where you agree, seek funding or support for delegate places.

Who sees it. The South African selection team and jury. The jury does not see your contact details or the funded-place answers. Funders see your details only as described under Sharing.

Where it's kept. With our hosting provider, Cloudflare, which may store it outside South Africa.

Sharing. With programme partners only if you are selected, as described in the consents above, and under a data protection agreement between the programme partners. With funders only if you tick that consent and are selected or held as a reserve: corporate funders, and government departments, public agencies or entities they fund or are affiliated with. Each receives only what it needs to consider and report on support for your place.

How long. Kept for selection and, if you are selected, until outcome tracking for the 2026 edition ends in 2027. Deleted after that.

Your rights. Ask to see, correct or delete your information, or object to its use, through the contact form on this page. You can withdraw a consent the same way; that stops further sharing but cannot undo sharing already done. You can also complain to the Information Regulator.

Applications close 16 October 2026.
Partners

Delivered by its partners, not underwritten by anyone.

KILN is a private-private programme. Each partner carries its own costs, and the prize is funded between the organising partners.

Hosts of the 2026 edition

In proud partnership with

Supporting partners

Partnership tiers

DeliverableBronzeSilverGoldDiamond
Visibility across networks and media✓✓✓ Premium✓ Exclusive
Physical stand and networking access—✓✓✓
Session in the November bootcamp—✓✓✓
Seat on the expert jury——✓✓
Open Category challenge, with source code———✓

Tier pricing on application. In-kind contributions — infrastructure, credits, mentoring, prizes — are treated on the same ladder as cash.

Partner with KILN

Tell us what you're considering and the partner team will come back to you. Pricing and in-kind terms are agreed directly, not published.

  • Open Category challenges need to be agreed before the bootcamp starts in November, so teams can prepare against them.
  • Bootcamp sessions run online across all three national cohorts at once.
  • In-kind support sits on the same ladder as cash.
How your information is handled

Messages go to the KILN partners' shared inbox, run by Dala For Africa (Pty) Ltd on Google Workspace, and are read by the partner organisations so the right person can reply. They are kept for 24 months. To see, correct or delete what you sent, say so through this form.

Questions

Before you apply.

Does it cost anything to apply?

No. Applications are free and no place is sold. Selection is by independent jury against a weighted scorecard.

Who pays for travel to Algiers?

Delegates are expected to cover their own travel and accommodation costs. We are working to secure flights and accommodation through enterprise development and corporate sponsorship, but that is not guaranteed and no place depends on it. Selection happens first and funding status does not affect it.

Do I have to attend the whole bootcamp?

Yes. The four weeks are the condition of the December place. Attendance and completion are recorded against each participant and reported to programme partners.

Can a solo founder apply?

You can apply, but teams of two to four are strongly preferred and at least one member must be able to build. Teams that include an international member tend to do better on localisation and cross-border readiness.

Who owns what we build?

Your team owns its intellectual property. Where a sponsor submits an Open Category challenge, the terms of that specific track are published with the challenge before you choose it.

What language is the programme in?

English, with Arabic and French support in Algiers. The bootcamp runs in English.

I want to sponsor or send a challenge. Who do I talk to?

Use the partnership form. Open Category challenges need to be settled before the bootcamp starts in November so teams can prepare against them.

Contact

Ask us anything.

Questions about eligibility, the bootcamp or the week in Algiers. Messages reach all the programme partners, so the right person answers.

How your information is handled

Messages go to the KILN partners' shared inbox, run by Dala For Africa (Pty) Ltd on Google Workspace, and are read by the partner organisations so the right person can reply. They are kept for 24 months. To see, correct or delete what you sent, or anything in an application, say so through this form.