Base, the Ethereum layer-2 solution by Coinbase, has announced the launch of an eight-week training course designed to transform traditional software developers into blockchain developers.

The program is targeting ‘mid to senior-level software engineering individual contributors,’ and will be accepting applications until December 15 2023 for cohort 4, the announcement states.

According to Base, students who are selected to the program will have:

• Dedicated mentorship: Students will be paired with a mentor whom they will meet on a weekly basis
• Access to Base and Coinbase engineers: A curated group of engineers will host optional, regular office hours throughout the program to help students work through challenges
• A gated Discord channel: Students can connect and collaborate with their cohort, Coinbase engineers, and program mentors in a gated Discord channel
• Learning materials developed by Base engineers: Students will work through the comprehensive, publicly available Base Camp curriculum, as well as get additional resources and assignments graded by the team

Prior to its launch in April 2023, Coinbase indicated that the L2 blockchain is a secure and cost-effective chain that aims to provide a developer-friendly environment for creating dApps on the blockchain. Base is developed on the OP Stack, licensed by MIT, and in collaboration with Optimism, a layer-2 blockchain also focused on the Ethereum protocol.

“At Base, our vision is to onboard the next million builders and billion users onchain. Today, there are fewer than 30,000 onchain developers, compared to nearly 30 million software developers.”

– Base

Base had previously introduced an online training program known as ‘Base Camp’ earlier in 2023, which was accessible to the general public. However, the company recognized that this might not suffice, as ‘sustaining the motivation to learn a complex new skill independently can be challenging.’

Base Bootcamp was thus introduced to offer additional support for developers who prefer not to study in isolation.

Prior to completing the program, students will be expected to develop their own Web3 application and present it to their peers.

While the program doesn’t have tuition fees, students are required to submit a deposit of 1 Ether to ensure their commitment to finishing the program. Base has stated that this deposit will be refunded to the student upon successful graduation.

Applications for the coming cohort 4 will close on December 15 2023.

Apply here.

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Seventy-one percent of technology investors in Africa would be reluctant to invest further in a startup that does not furnish regular reporting updates, a new report says.

The report, titled ‘Start-Up Performance Reporting in Africa: What Do Investors Want to Know?,’ highlights the vital importance of founders within the African tech ecosystem prioritizing communication with their current investor base as a means to secure long-term funding.

As per the study shared with BitKE and conducted by Wimbart, a leading PR agency specializing in tech start-ups across Africa and other emerging markets, 29% of startup investors revealed that they did not receive regular reports from the companies in their portfolio, coming as the Africa tech ecosystem continued to grow in terms of VC funding.

The study had participation from over 90% of the respondents, which included venture capitalists, angel investors, accelerators, and incubators from various regions across the continent.

“In recent years, we’ve become increasingly familiar with anecdotal intelligence on the lack of consistent investor communications, and with our growing network of VCs, DFIs, and early-stage investors, we strongly believed it was the ideal time to accurately capture the problem and contextualise the narrative,” said Jessica Hope, founder and CEO at Wimbart.

Some of the key issues identified about founder communication in Africa include:

• Lack of clarity and focus
• Vague performance metrics
• Absence of actionable insights
• Selective reporting
• Inconsistent reporting timelines

Hope continued,

“The resounding conclusion from our research is that, in light of the current funding climate, founders simply cannot afford to neglect consistent engagement with current and potential investors.

Now more than ever, there is a huge need for clear, regular, and standardised updates to investors so they can not only accurately assess the health of their portfolio companies during this critical period, but sustain the upward trend in funding we’ve experienced over the last 5 to 10 years.”

Wimbart, established in 2015, has offered assistance to more than 120 African-focused startups, scaleups, and investors. It proudly counts prestigious names among its clients, including:

• Andela
• TLcom
• Wasoko
• Piggyvest
• Sparkle
• Moove

Despite the growing entrepreneurial drive in Africa, maintaining effective communication with investors continues to be a significant challenge. The report underscores the crucial importance of founders being deliberate in their accountability to existing investors by offering regular and valuable updates.

Read / Download the full Wimbart report here.

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