AfriTech’s 2nd Startupbootcamp, Telecel’s Accelerator selected 10 startups
Startupbootcamp AfriTech and Telecel Group have chosen ten African businesses to participate in the second edition of the Africa Startup Initiative Programme (ASIP), which provides cash and assistance to participants.
Startupbootcamp AfriTech was founded in 2017 as the first pan-African business accelerator funded by many corporations. In March of last year, Disrupt Africa announced that it had teamed up with Telecel Group to develop the Africa Startup Initiative Program, which seeks to help the next generation of early-stage African tech businesses disrupting a variety of industries.
Last June, ten firms were selected for the first ASIP programme, which supports young startups with creative ideas that are making a difference in their communities.
Selected businesses get $18,000 in equity capital, as well as $750,000 in credits, services, and in-kind value.
Following a tough two-day selection process in Dakar, Senegal earlier this month that saw 20 semi-finalists pitch to judges and stakeholders, eleven companies from around the continent have been picked for the second iteration of the programme. A total of 2,295 applications from 58 countries were received.
Crowdyvest, an impact-driven crowd investment platform; Powerstove Energy, which has developed an IoT-enabled smokeless stove; Qataloog, which uses cataloguing algorithms for learning content and user search preferences to offer transparent, cost-effective pricing directly to institutions; and Rural Farmers Hub, a crop intelligence solution for farmers, are four of the selected companies from Nigeria.
Two of the businesses are from Senegal: Parc Smart, a parking reservation system, and Proxalys SAS, a fresh food e-commerce platform. The other two are from Kenya: Neural Labs Africa, an AI-enabled medical imaging firm, and Vooli Mobile Insurance App, an insurtech startup. Ghanaian ed-tech firm eCampus and Ugandan trash management business Ecomak Recyclers round out the list.
Meanwhile, Agrodata, a Nigerian startup that built an IoT-enabled smart hive to help fruit and vegetable growers with pollination needs, will participate in the programme after being selected for the first edition but unable to go, will participate in the second edition.
“Entrepreneurship and innovation represent Africa’s best possible investment for future sustainability. Startupbootcamp’s entrepreneurs are working to solve critical challenges, improving lives and communities. More than 88 per cent of our 40 alumni are still operating and have raised more than US$90 million in funding, showing that our programme is making a difference,” said Philip Kiracofe, CEO of Startupbootcamp AfriTech.
The programme will take place in Dakar, with companies hosted by DER/FJ in the D-hub, a venue commissioned by the General Delegation for Rapid Entrepreneurship of Women and Youth (DER/FJ) and founded by President Macky Sall of Senegal.
