Why startup HR is different

In a startup you are the recruiter, People Partner, culture builder, policy writer and problem-solver, often on the same day. There is rarely a big budget, a team of specialists or a ready-made process. Sometimes there is not even a clear answer.

The Accelerator prepares you for exactly that: eight weeks of practical, scenario-based learning with people who have built HR inside African startups.

Who it is for

HR and People professionals with roughly one to five years of experience who want to:

• Move into a startup, or become more effective in the one you are in

• Work confidently with founders

• Build HR systems from scratch without over-engineering them

• Do more with a limited budget

• Connect people decisions to business outcomes

I know HR, but I am not sure how I would approach this in a startup.

If that sounds familiar, you are in the right place. No startup experience is required.

What you will learn

• Build HR from scratch: identify what a startup needs now and avoid unnecessary bureaucracy.

• Hire with purpose: lean recruitment and hiring processes that work for fast-moving teams.

• Manage performance: goals, feedback and systems that help people do their best work.

• Build culture intentionally: how founders shape culture, and how HR shapes it as the company grows.

• Reward within reality: compensation and benefits when you cannot outspend the market.

• Work smarter: HR technology, automation and AI for lean People teams.

• Partner with founders: move beyond administration into people and business decisions.

Real scenarios, not theory

Every week you work through situations where people, money and culture collide, and learn to make sound decisions when there is no perfect option. A few of them:

• A founder wants to raise every salary after a funding round, even though it will sharply increase the monthly burn.

• Your best employee has a competing offer at 40% more, and you cannot match it for everyone.

• The company has grown from 11 to 34 people and the informal ways of working are breaking down.

• You are the only People person for 25 employees. What do you prioritise, and what do you deliberately leave undone?

• The founder is the culture problem, and also your boss.

The eight weeks

1. Week 1: The startup HR mindset

2. Week 2: Building HR from scratch

3. Week 3: Recruitment and onboarding

4. Week 4: Performance, culture and retention

5. Week 5: Compensation, benefits and HR risk

6. Week 6: Technology, AI and business partnership

7. Week 7: The Startup HR Challenge

8. Week 8: Demo day and graduation

Expect expert sessions, practical workshops, realistic case studies, mentorship from startup HR practitioners, and a peer community that outlasts the cohort.

What you get

• Eight weeks of structured learning

• Expert-led sessions and practical workshops

• Realistic startup case studies

• Mentorship from experienced startup HR practitioners

• The Startup HR Challenge and demo day

• Practical HR tools and frameworks you can reuse

• A cohort community

• Certificate of Completion

After you register

You will receive a confirmation email and an invitation to the Accelerator WhatsApp community, where programme updates, preparation resources and onboarding details land first.