Katapult Africa Accelerator Programme selected nine startups across continent
The Katapult Africa Accelerator Programme, which gives entrepreneurs access to US $150,000 in investment and other assistance, has chosen nine startups from across the continent.
A number of African entrepreneurs have received funding from the Norwegian-based Katapult Accelerator, which has also spun out projects including Katapult Ocean and a program devoted to addressing climate change. The Katapult Africa Accelerator Programme, which aims to accelerate and invest in agri-tech and climate-tech firms, was announced by Disrupt Africa in March after it had collaborated with the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) for Global Change, Norrsken, and Smart Africa.
Nine African impact technology entrepreneurs working on a variety of game-changing agri-, food-, and climate-tech solutions were chosen to join the program, which was officially inaugurated last week in Kigali, Rwanda.
The startups will participate in sessions centered on growth, impact, and investment readiness as part of the Katapult Africa Accelerator Program. To prepare the impact startups for scaling in African markets, the cohort of companies will spend three months participating in demanding workshops, online meetups, mentor sessions, pitch training, and investor presentations.
Agritech startup GrowAgric and aquaculture innovation Aquarech are the two startups that represent Kenya. Legendary Foods and Spark, a social finance app, are the two startups that represent Ghana.
Cold storage solution Gricd and agri-tech startup Vetsark from Nigeria are also represented, and the cohort is round out by Madagascan supply chain solution Elucid, Senegalese B2B marketplace Afrikamart, and Moroccan agri-tech startup Sand to Green.
From a pool of 700 applicants, the startups were chosen.
“At Katapult we are highly ambitious and we set our vision to nothing short of building a thriving world for all. It is for this reason that today’s launch represents an important step forward for both Katapult and the impact community,” said Katapult founder Tharald Nustad.
“Our decision to launch Katapult in Africa is driven by both a clear recognition of the need for change and an unprecedented opportunity for innovation. With a climate in crisis, it is all too clear that we must accelerate technologies to both overcome climate challenges and ensure food security. We simultaneously believe that it is Africa with its fast-growing business communities and young, tech-savvy population who are best placed to deliver highly scalable, highly impactful solutions.”
