12 African startups qualifies for FAST accelerator programme, designed by Microsoft
Twelve African tech startups have been chosen for the first cohort of the FAST startup accelerator, which was developed by Microsoft in collaboration with Flapmax to strengthen and scale Africa’s digital ecosystem.
The 12-week FAST programme, which starts next week, brings together startups from six different countries and nine industries, chosen from over 800 applications from 25 countries.
FAST applicants had to be based in Africa, be ready to scale or expand within the continent, and have a proven product-market fit while addressing one or more SDGs (SDG).
Four of the selected companies are based in Nigeria, namely Capsa Technology, an online platform to buy and sell invoices for businesses; LegitCar, which is building Africa’s biggest vehicle data service; Pade HCM, an automated HR platform for all African businesses; and DayDone, an e-commerce platform digitising Africa’s agriculture market.
Another four are from Kenya, in the shape of prop-tech platform Silqu, e-health startup Snark Health, educational app K-12 EdTech, and data-driven food supply chain platform Taimba, while the other selected companies are Egyptian agri-tech startup VAIS, Tanzanian e-health service Tumaini La Maisha, Ghanaian e-health startup Wala Digital Health, and Ugandan mobility company KaCyber Technologies.
The FAST accelerator cohort will participate in a variety of activities, including training, business development, cloud and AI integration, fundraising, and community building events, all with the goal of assisting them in scaling quickly and sustainably. Members of the Microsoft engineering team will collaborate with participants one-on-one on co-innovation projects ranging from product integrations to new offerings.
The startup founders will gain access to new technology tools and services with the assistance of the Flapmax engineering team. Participants will also receive up to $250,000 in Microsoft Azure cloud credits, as well as access to Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub, which includes OpenAI API access.
“Microsoft believes that African startups, with relevant solutions to local societal challenges, are well-positioned to become a cornerstone of the African digital economy.” Participation in the FAST startup accelerator programme will assist these entrepreneurs in capturing available funding opportunities as well as planning for future market expansion,” said Gerald Maithya, startups lead at the Microsoft Africa Transformation Office.
