25 African startups selected for $4 M Google for Startups Black Founders Fund
The 25 startups with headquarters in Africa that were chosen for this year’s $4 million Black Founders Fund have been revealed by Google for Startups.
For the second edition, Google increased its commitment with an additional US $1 million in funding and supported 10 more founders, giving equity-free funding to 50 entrepreneurs.
Google once more pledged US $4 million for the third cohort, and as of now, 40 startups have been chosen to receive equity-free cash awards of up to US $150,000, cloud credit of US $200,000, access to training, and networking opportunities with mentors. Of those, twenty-five are from Africa.
Akoma Health, Evolve Credit, Fez Delivery, Herconomy, MDaaS Global, My Pocket Counsel, Orda, Periculum, Raenest, and TruQ are the top 10 ventures in Nigeria. Five more are from Kenya: Fleetsimplify, Jumba, Tushop, Uzapoint, and Zydii.
HealthDart, Excel At Uni, and Zinacare are three more from South Africa, while BezoMoney and Talamus Health from Ghana and EzyAgric and Ridelink from Uganda each had two. The list is completed by Chargel (South Africa), Charis UAS (Rwanda), and Susu (Ivory Coast).
“Startups play a major role in advancing Africa’s digital transformation. We look forward to working with this group of innovative founders who are using technology to solve some of the most pressing challenges in Africa. The Google for Startups Black Founders Fund is committed to addressing the stark inequality in VC funding by providing black founders with the resources and support they need to succeed,” said Folarin Aiyegbusi, head of the startups ecosystem for Africa at Google.
Herconomy’s founder, Ifedayo Durosinmi-Etti, stated that being selected for the 2023 Black Founders Fund would fuel its revolutionary vision and speed up its development.
“With the funding and support provided by the program, we will expedite the development of our innovative solutions, enhance support for our valued customers, and expand our presence on an international scale,” she said.
