The Meltwater Foundation was established in 2008 as the non-profit arm of the software company Meltwater. Its mission is to drive job creation and economic growth in Africa by focusing on software entrepreneurship.

The Foundation’s core initiative is the MEST (Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology) program, which is headquartered in Accra, Ghana. MEST provides a full-time, in-person intensive tech-entrepreneurship training program for emerging talent from over 22 African countries, coupled with early-stage investment for promising ventures.

To further its impact, the Foundation launched MESTx, a suite of collaborative programs delivered with partners to expand digital skills training and startup acceleration across the continent. Since its inception, the Meltwater Foundation has trained over 2,000 entrepreneurs and invested in more than 90 startups, helping to fuel innovation and shape Africa’s next generation of tech leaders.