11 startups selected for 2nd Startupbootcamp AfriTech, Telecel accelerator

Startupbootcamp AfriTech and Telecel Group have chosen 11 African startups to participate in the second edition of the Africa Startup Initiative Programme (ASIP), which provides funding and support to participants.

Startupbootcamp AfriTech was founded in 2017 as the first pan-African startup accelerator backed by multiple corporations. Disrupt Africa announced in March of last year that it had partnered with Telecel Group to launch the Africa Startup Initiative Programme, which aims to support the next generation of early-stage African tech startups disrupting a variety of industries.

ASIP supports young startups with innovative ideas that make a difference in their communities, and ten startups were chosen for the first program last June.

Eleven startups from across the continent have been chosen for the second edition of the program, following a rigorous two-day selection process earlier this month in Dakar, Senegal, which saw 20 semi-finalists pitch to judges and stakeholders. In total, 2,295 applications from 58 countries were received.

Agrodata, which has invented an IoT-enabled smart hive to assist fruit and vegetable farmers with pollination requirements; Crowdyvest, an impact-driven crowd investment platform; Powerstove Energy, which has developed an IoT-enabled smokeless stove; Qataloog, which offers transparent, cost-effective pricing directly to institutions using cataloguing algorithms for learning content and user search preferences; and Raise are all Nigerian companies.

Two of the startups 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 startup, and Vooli Mobile Insurance App, an insurtech startup. Ghanaian ed-tech startup eCampus and Ugandan waste management company Ecomak Recyclers round out the list.

“Entrepreneurship and innovation are Africa’s best investments for long-term sustainability.” Entrepreneurs at Startupbootcamp are working to solve critical problems and improve people’s lives and communities. “More than 88% of our 40 alumni are still in business and have raised more than US$90 million in funding, demonstrating that our program is making a difference,” said Philip Kiracofe, CEO of Startupbootcamp AfriTech.

The program will take place in Dakar, and startups will be hosted by DER/FJ at the D-hub, a space established by Senegal’s President, Macky Sall, and commissioned by the General Delegation for the Rapid Entrepreneurship of Women and Youth (DER/FJ).