Habitat for Humanity’s latest ShelterTech accelerator invites applications from African Entrepreneurs

The ShelterTech Sub-Saharan Africa accelerator program, run by the global non-profit Habitat for Humanity, is now accepting proposals from entrepreneurs with scalable solutions to today’s affordable housing concerns.

ShelterTech is an affordable housing innovation platform that works across sectors, industries, and geographies to support and build cutting-edge products and services that may help low-income households improve their living circumstances. Since its debut accelerator program in 2017, the platform has sponsored over 70 businesses globally, with the first African edition taking place in 2018.

The Hilti Foundation, Autodesk Foundation, Dow, Keith V. Kiernan Foundation, Dotson Family Fund, and J. Ronald Terwilliger Foundation are among the sponsors of the program. The program will be delivered in collaboration with Plug & Play.

“What’s unique about ShelterTech’s Sub-Saharan Africa accelerator is that it encompasses several verticals – including prop-tech, new materials, circular economy, and smart cities – under a single theme, which is affordable housing. This allows us to be creative in developing a tailor-made curriculum that can maximise startups’ learning about the ecosystem, as well as opening them up to more opportunities regarding growth and funding,” said Nicolas Chow, EMEA’s director for sustainability at Plug and Play.

ShelterTech helps companies develop solutions in areas such as finance, labour, materials, land, markets, energy, and water and sanitation.

“Our 2018 Kenya accelerator evidenced the immense potential of innovation in serving low-income markets. Now is the right time to expand our platform across the region. While countries are working hard to recover from the pandemic, the housing deficit across Africa remains a dire challenge, with 238 million people living in slums and informal settlements,” said Patrick Kelley, vice-president of Habitat’s Terwilliger Centre for Innovation in Shelter.

“Part of how we can tackle this challenge is by identifying and investing in the growth of businesses that can make homes more affordable, sustainable and safer.”

Applications will be accepted through June 9th.