Tekano

What Tekano does

Tekano is a South African Non-Profit Organisation founded in 2017 and headquartered in Woodstock, Cape Town. It operates a yearlong fellowship programme that recruits and screens approximately 25 fellows annually, focused on health equity through addressing structural and social determinants of health. The organization also maintains an Alumni Programme for ongoing engagement and the Rea Bua – Herstory publication project, which documents organizational history and fellow stories.

The fellowship uses a modular curriculum covering leadership, power, feminist methodologies, intersectionality, and collective practice, supplemented by Pan-African international learning exchanges (including visits to Kenya) and connection to the Atlantic Fellows global network via the Atlantic Institute. Tekano has no proprietary technology platform; its delivery model is built on in-person learning experiences, facilitated workshops, and ongoing alumni community engagement, supported by content distribution through its website and social media channels.

Tekano's business model is that of a grant-funded non-profit. Revenue is not publicly disclosed and is presumed to derive from grants, donations, and partnerships — primarily through the Atlantic Institute affiliation. The go-to-market is community-led: fellows are recruited directly through applications and screening, with selection criteria emphasizing commitment to health equity and social justice. Target beneficiaries are changemakers in health equity and social justice across South Africa, and the organization's alumni have founded or led initiatives spanning mental health, menstrual health equity, food sovereignty, environmental health, mobility, and primary healthcare access for marginalized communities.

Name

Tekano

Legal name

Tekano

Website

https://tekano.org.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tekano is a South African non-profit that runs a yearlong fellowship for approximately 25 health equity changemakers annually, addressing structural and social determinants of health through feminist leadership training and Pan-African exchange as part of the Atlantic Fellows global network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health Equity Leadership Fellowship

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Health Workforce Development & Capacity-Building (HLAJAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Lifelong Learning Institutes (Osher/OLLI-style) & Senior Academies (EDAAAMAA), Alumni Career Networking & Mentorship Programs (EDALAOAL), Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits (THAHAMAH)

Keywords

• Health equity leadership
• Social justice fellowship
• Community organizing training
• Feminist leadership programme
• Public health capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Fellowship Program Operations: Tekano operates as a non-profit organization that likely receives funding through grants, donations, and partnerships to sustain its fellowship program operations. The organization partners with the Atlantic Institute and other donors to fund fellowship activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Tekano runs a Yearlong Fellows Programme that annually screens, selects, and recruits approximately 25 South African fellows for an immersive curriculum on health equity, social justice, feminist leadership, power, and collective practice. The organization also sustains an Alumni Programme for ongoing engagement with graduates and produces the Rea Bua – Herstory publication project documenting fellows' work and stories.

Product overview

Tekano is a non-profit organization dedicated to health equity through addressing structural and social determinants of health. The organization's core offerings consist of a Yearlong Fellowship Programme that selects approximately 25 Fellows annually, an Alumni Programme for ongoing community engagement, and the Rea Bua – Herstory publication project. The fellowship uses a modular approach with four learning modules covering topics such as leadership, power dynamics, collective practice, feminist methodologies, and intersectionality. The organization also provides various resources including publications, podcasts, videos, and news activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rea Bua – Herstory: A distinct programme/project of Tekano focused on documenting herstories, with its own dedicated website at tekanoreabua.org.za

Products and services

• Yearlong Fellows Programme A yearlong application-based fellowship that recruits approximately 25 South African fellows annually, focused on health equity, social justice, feminist leadership, power, and collective practice across four learning modules.
• Alumni Programme An ongoing programme that keeps former fellows engaged in promoting health equity through addressing structural and social determinants of health beyond the fellowship year, including transition into the lifelong Atlantic Fellows community.
• Rea Bua – Herstory A publication and documentary project that documents the stories, herstories, and history of Tekano and its fellows, operating under its own sub-brand and dedicated website.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 25 fellows recruited per year across multiple cohorts
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Atlantic InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTekano is part of the Atlantic Fellows network, a global community working toward health equity. Fellows who complete the program join the lifelong Atlantic Fellows community and benefit from ongoing networking and support.
• People PoweredcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeople Powered works with Tekano on capacity-building programs for democratic participation. Melissa Zisengwe, a Tekano facilitator, manages People Powered's capacity-building programs in South Africa.
• Langa Bicycle HubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization partnered with Tekano for the Open Langa event, working on spatial justice and community connectivity through cycling.
• Local SouthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting the Open Langa initiative and urban transformation efforts.
• City of Cape TownminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner supporting community events and urban programming.
• Bridges for MusicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization contributing to community events in Langa.
• SA Urban Food and Farming TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting urban agriculture and food security initiatives.
• Agricultural Research Council (ARC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner supporting agroecology and sustainable farming initiatives with small-scale farmers.
• Phawu AgriPakminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization founded by Tekano fellow Bakhusele Mathupha, hosting agroecology events and sustainable farming demonstrations.
• Amandla.mobiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCivil society organization co-hosting panel discussions with Tekano on technology, power, and democracy.
• Umzabalazo Annual GatheringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTekano's annual gathering for reflection, creativity, and collective celebration bringing together fellows, alumni, partners, and friends to advance health equity and social justice.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Global Health Corps: Yearlong fellowship placing emerging leaders into health-equity roles across Africa and the US. Directly comparable fellowship-based, mission-aligned model for emerging health leaders.
• Ashoka: Global network of leading social entrepreneurs selected through a competitive fellowship-like process with lifelong membership — comparable selection discipline and ecosystem model.
• Acumen Fellows Program: Global fellowship developing social-change leaders through a yearlong curriculum and lifelong network — closely comparable cohort model and alumni architecture.
• Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity: Atlantic Institute program also dedicated to training health-equity leaders globally — directly comparable model to Tekano, sharing the Atlantic Fellows network and curriculum philosophy.
• Mandela Rhodes Foundation: South African leadership-development fellowship selecting cohorts annually and connecting them to lifelong networks. Most direct domestic comparator to Tekano for fellowship design and scale.
• Africa Leadership Institute: African leadership-development organisation running cohort-based programs targeting emerging leaders across the continent — directly comparable cohort-leadership model.
• Echoing Green: Global fellowship seeding emerging social-impact leaders with funding and lifelong peer support — comparable selective cohort model targeting systems-change leaders.

Broad incumbents

• Open Society Foundations: Large global funder and program operator with significant health-equity, leadership, and rights portfolios. Comparable in mission reach but with institutional scale far beyond Tekano's.
• BRAC: Large development organisation with leadership/education components alongside direct service delivery. Mission-aligned at the health-equity nexus but with a service-delivery rather than fellowship-focused core model.

Regional players

• The Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Cape Town-based centre convening social innovators across Southern Africa. Regionally comparable mission around systemic change but based in an academic institution rather than a fellowship NPO.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/TekanoSA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCA_g-AA8V9CJ3SaL7_kQCDw
• Facebookfacebook.com/TekanoSA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tekano-health-equity-in-south-africa
• Instagraminstagram.com/tekano_sa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tekano