Africa’s First #LawTech Innovation and Co-working Hub. Based in Kenya, the Lawyers Hub exists to provide a nexus between Law and Technology and uses technology as leverage and improve access to justice and the business of law has launched a first for the continent, an accelerator programme targetted at law startups in Africa.
The accelerator is held in partnership with HYBR South Africa and GoDo Hub Nigeria. The programme aims to assist law startups to scale up their business by focusing on equipping participating startups with the skills to become investor-ready, sustainable and develop a concrete strategy that enables consistent business growth.
Startups and SMEs contribute largely to the digital economy in Africa. An estimated $2.4 billion in capital and acquisition value was recorded across the African tech and innovation scene in 2020. Still, startups in Africa struggle with in-depth legal training support to enable them to set up legally sound and risk proof businesses, products and strategies from an early stage.
Having considered the role that tech startups play in the growth of Africa’s economy and their legal needs, the Lawyers Hub introduces a 12-week accelerator geared towards supporting pre-seed startups in strategy and business development with training on legal strategies for startup growth, investor readiness, and sustainability.
Applications
Law startups located in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, and Tanzania for the pilot programme.
The accelerator programme is scheduled to take place for 12 weeks during the first half of this year. The accelerator programme will include legal workshops, assistance and guidance from guest facilitators, and a prototype and demonstration day of said developed product by participating legal startups.
Applications must be completed online and applications close on 1 April 2021.
Africa LawTech Festival
In addition, the Lawyers Hub will be hosting the Africa LawTech Festival this year. The event will take place from 5-9 July 2021 and is its second year of operation. The festival is being held in support of Omidyar Network.
Held virtually this year, the event is themed around the topic of Digital Policy for Economic Growth and is focused around five summits.
These summits are namely:
- Internet Governance and Content Moderation
- Startup and Trade Law
- Artificial Intelligence and Ethics
- Digital Identity
- Blockchain and Digital Currencies.
The event will provide a networking opportunity for participants to engage with peers in various fields of law and technology.
