10 Startups Chosen for Qualcomm’s Latest Make in Africa Mentorship Program
The Qualcomm Make in Africa Startup Mentorship Program, which provides businesses with access to engineers, coaching, and IP protection advice, has chosen ten African tech startups to participate in its most recent iteration.
The NASDAQ-listed Qualcomm is a multinational corporation based in the United States that develops wireless technology-related semiconductors, software, and services.
In 2022, the company launched its African Innovation Platform, which includes the Make in Africa Startup Mentorship Program, an equity-free mentorship program for promising early-stage startups interested in integrating cutting-edge processing and connectivity technologies into hardware and other innovative end-to-end systems solutions.
The initiative, which is currently in its third edition, then aims to give these businesses access to engineering consultancy for product development, business coaching, and advice on intellectual property protection. Qualcomm has today announced the 10 initiatives that have been chosen for the 2025 Make in Africa program, following the receipt of 435 proposals from 19 different nations.
Three Kenyan firms were chosen: Solar Freeze, which creates IoT-powered cold storage for food preservation; Pollen Patrollers, an AI-driven pollination support technology; and Farmer Lifeline, which manufactures solar AI robots for agricultural disease monitoring.
Pixii Motors, an AI/IoT-enhanced electric scooter ecosystem; Ecobees, which creates smart beekeeping technology with AI monitoring; and AmalXR, which performs virtual reality rehabilitation with AI progress tracking, are three more Tunisian companies.
The cohort is completed by two Nigerian businesses: the hyperlocal flood risk AI prediction tool ClimatrixAI and the AI-based drug discovery platform Aframend; Benin-based IoT solar pisciculture automation service Archeos; and Senegal-based AI-based mobile liver fibrosis diagnostic app Edulytics.
These startups will get IP training, access to Qualcomm hardware, business coaching, and technical mentorship. In order to expand its solution, one firm will also receive funding from the Qualcomm Wireless Reach Social Impact Fund.
