During my fellowship at Open Startup International (OST), I focused on partnerships and early‑stage fund development. In the first half of the summer I followed up on OST’s June convenings in New York and Washington, D.C. These events brought together investors, philanthropies, and partners. I organized the pipeline, tracked priority leads, and helped structure follow‑ups with organizations such as Kuramo Capital, the Skoll Foundation, Goldman Sachs, the Carnegie Endowment, and the Ford Foundation. Later, my work shifted toward research and preparation for the OST Fund. I benchmarked similar funds, spoke with industry experts, and collaborated with the OST team to identify priorities for building the fund’s financial model and pitch deck. This work aligns with OST’s mission to create bridges between African entrepreneurs and global partners by developing both the ecosystem and financing structures to support early‑stage science and technology ventures across the continent.

My academic background provided a strong foundation for both sides of my placement. Training in qualitative and data analysis helped me structure benchmarking research and synthesize insights from diverse sources to highlight OST’s impact and successes. Exposure to sustainable development finance proved especially useful when assessing comparable funds and thinking through various financial models, including blended finance. It also helped me identify what distinguishes OST’s positioning in the ecosystem and the ripple effects the fund could have on continental development. Academic exposure to impact‑investing frameworks allowed me to understand and translate investment language while keeping the impact orientation central when creating the fund narrative and framework.

One challenge was balancing parallel workstreams: managing lead generation and relationship cultivation from June’s convenings while beginning the long‑term work of benchmarking funds and developing a financial model. Deciding where to place emphasis week by week was not always straightforward. Another challenge was the absence of templates or established resources; much of the work was exploratory and required figuring things out. Finally, OST’s team is strong on programmatic expertise but has less investment experience. I often had to seek insights from external experts and partners. These challenges taught me to be resourceful and proactive.

This fellowship offered practical insight into the fundraising landscape, especially for African NGOs working across borders. I learned how global political and economic changes influence fundraising opportunities and how systemic barriers shape the support organizations like OST can access. I realized that in an unstable world, NGOs and small organizations need innovative funding structures to become more independent and resilient. I also learned what donors and investors expect in reporting and strategy and the importance of anticipating these requirements early. On the fund side, I discovered that creating a fund requires deep thinking about the gap it addresses, the long‑term impact desired, and the vision driving it. Overall, I leave with a stronger understanding of partnerships and fund development and am eager to continue turning this groundwork into a concrete fundraising strategy.