Real problems. Working products. A path to pilots. The Sandbox Innovation League is a six-month competition where institutions set the challenge and ambitious teams prove what they can build.
24 teams · 2–5 builders per team · Season 2026–27
Choose your lane
The league brings builders and institutions into one practical pipeline—from a genuine challenge to evidence, validation and a potential pilot.
For builders
Bring a team of 2–5 people. Over six months, you will build, speak to users, strengthen your stack, test revenue and solve a live institutional challenge.
For institutions
Bring a problem worth solving and the people who understand it. SIL turns it into a clear challenge, matches it with builders and manages the path to a credible pilot.
Our north star
Reignite Africa by building the next generation of African internet and city businesses.
This is a recurring innovation pipeline—not a weekend event. Every round asks teams to reduce a different kind of risk before the championship.
The build season
A good pitch will not carry a team through the season. Each month ends with a specific question, visible evidence and a live fixture.
Can you build?
Ship a working product that people can actually use.
Does anyone want it?
Leave the building, find users and prove the problem matters to them.
Can you scale it?
Build the reliable technical system behind the product.
Will anyone pay?
Turn interest into a credible business signal.
Can you solve a real problem?
Work against a live brief from a partner institution.
Can you win?
Defend your product, technology, customer evidence and business—live.
League format
Teams play regular fixtures, earn league points and build an innovation score before the playoff field is decided.
For partners
SIL brings together problem owners, technical infrastructure, capital and ecosystem access around one shared goal: moving useful products closer to adoption.
01 · Problem
Bring a genuine problem, domain context and experts who can judge the work.
Municipalities · Banks · Universities · Regulators · Insurers · Utilities
02 · Stack
Give teams the services, technical support and mentorship needed to build reliably.
Payments · Cloud · AI · Data · Cybersecurity · Developer platforms
03 · Growth
Open routes to grants, investment, pilot funding and acceleration for promising teams.
Funds · Banks · DFIs · Family offices · Corporate venture arms
04 · Access
Contribute venues, research, policy insight, users and networks that strengthen the season.
Industry bodies · Public institutions · Universities · Communities
Support the league as a whole.
League visibility · Community access · Ecosystem presenceSponsor one institutional challenge.
Dedicated challenge · Expert judging · Pilot pathwayBack several challenges or a theme.
Multiple challenges · Workshops · Championship presenceHelp establish the league.
Strategic input · Priority talent access · Championship prominenceWhat teams build
The season teaches a modern, agent-compatible workflow for provisioning services, managing credentials and documenting infrastructure. Technical decisions become part of the evidence—not something hidden behind the pitch.
A deployed product that judges and users can actually try.
Direct proof that a real user understands and values the solution.
A credible stack, observable runtime and documented build process.
Clear pricing, a partner fit or another defensible path into the market.
Inaugural season · 2026–27
Apply with your team, or speak to us about turning an institutional problem into a league challenge.