Catherine Townshend, MD of Endeavor South Africa, has been invited to join the Kauffman Fellowship – a two-year programme dedicated to the world of venture capital and the cultivation of new high-tech, high-impact companies. She is the first candidate from South Africa to join the programme.
Kauffman Fellowships take the form of practical apprenticeships, which include:
- Professional coaching
- Mentoring by senior partners
- Quarterly sessions of industry and leadership curricula.
All of the above are conducted in Palo Alto, California.
Townshend – along with Endeavor South Africa – joins a network that links together hundreds of investment firms collectively deploying billions of dollars in venture capital.
“This is an incredibly exciting moment for Endeavor and for me personally,” Townshend said.
Endeavor entrepreneurs get more access to funding
“Endeavor is strongly committed to making smart, innovation capital available to its entrepreneurs. It launched its Investor Network in 2011 with the intention of connecting with local and international venture capital firms and its collaboration with the Kauffman Fellowship further endorses this commitment.”
The aim of the Kauffman Fellowship Programme is to identify, develop and network emerging global leaders in venture capital. Success means that entrepreneurs are building stronger, more enduring companies and, correspondingly, venture investors are realising enhanced returns.
Endeavor is leading the global movement to catalyse long-term economic growth by selecting, mentoring and accelerating the best high-impact entrepreneurs around the world.
“I believe that the opportunities offered me by this Fellowship will significantly boost Endeavor South Africa’s efforts in increasing the amount of smart capital available to our entrepreneurs,” Townshend said.
