Startupbootcamp AfriTech, a number one accelerator program for African tech startups, efficiently concluded its extremely anticipated ASIP Accelerator Demo Day occasion in Dakar, Senegal. The occasion, which befell alongside the AfricArena Summit, showcased the exceptional progress and cutting-edge improvements of this system’s newest cohort of entrepreneurs.
Tomi Davies, the Founding President of the Africa Enterprise Angel Community, gave the keynote speech and Demo Day was additionally attended by different business leaders, traders, and key stakeholders within the African tech ecosystem. The occasion marked the end result of an intense three-month acceleration program throughout which the startups acquired mentorship, steerage, and entry to an unlimited community of specialists and traders.
“The highest 11 of ASIP Cohort 3 are spectacular, Telecel Group is proud to be a part of their journey to scale and develop their companies, these startups are the way forward for the continent, tackling the native challenges and discovering innovatively disruptive methods to resolve them. We sit up for working collectively to develop this ecosystem and to establish extra synergies between Telecel entities and the group of the 30 startups which have graduated this system thus far,” stated Eleanor Azar, Government Deputy of Telecel and ASIP Director.
The ASIP Accelerator Program is funded by its founding associate Telecel Group and different key companions, notably the Senegalese authorities by way of DER/FJ and Enrich in Africa, a three-year mission funded below the European Union’s Horizon 2020 analysis and innovation program. The Program can be supported by the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank (FMO) by way of MASSIF, the monetary inclusion fund FMO manages on behalf of the Dutch authorities, AWS, Google for Startups, and Firstbase.
The Demo Day witnessed a formidable show of entrepreneurial expertise, because the startups offered their modern services to a captivated viewers. The various vary of sectors represented included FinTech, AgriTech, HealthTech, Local weather-Tech, and extra, showcasing the immense potential for development and influence throughout the African tech panorama.
Talking in regards to the occasion, Henry Ojuor, Program Director of Startupbootcamp AfriTech, expressed nice satisfaction within the achievements of the collaborating startups. “In the present day we witnessed the way forward for Africa. We noticed startups fixing a few of the greatest issues in Africa, disrupting total industries. We noticed startups poised to alter the world. However what we’re most happy with by far is how deeply this cohort has engaged within the native ecosystem. A staggering 90% of the startups you’ve simply seen are actively working in Senegal, and so they did all this whereas creating over 9000 jobs and placing ladies on the middle of their work. It’s a record-breaking cohort!”
The Demo Day additionally offered a platform for startups to have interaction with potential traders and forge strategic partnerships. Famend enterprise capitalists, angel traders, and company companions actively participated within the occasion, demonstrating their dedication to supporting and nurturing African startups.
The startups stood out with their groundbreaking options aimed toward fixing essentially the most difficult points Africa faces. Their shows generated important curiosity from traders, and the startups are actually poised to speed up their development with the assist of key business gamers.
Senegalese social promoting startup Yoonema introduced a brand new partnership with fellow SBC AfriTech Alumni, Yobante Specific, to offer seamless logistics between the sellers, and the shoppers.
“This collaboration has allowed us to develop our community to over 400 new social sellers who are actually onboarding into our platform,” famous CEO Mame Fatou Ba.
Nigerian mobility firm Parkwell additionally partnered with 2019 alumni Curacel to assist in giving their prospects peace of thoughts. “We’re constructing the Airbnb for parking in Africa,” says founder Philip Ogunaike. “Our new distribution partnerships with two main gamers within the mobility area – Interswitch and Contact and Pay provides us entry to their consumer base of over 15 million folks.”
“We’ve made unimaginable progress throughout the cohort,” says SafeTrack CEO Mahir Chekkoury Idrissi. The Morrocan startup introduced a partnership with the affiliation of citrus producers in Berkane, Morocco, and pilots with the directorate of horticulture and Senegal’s Ministry of Agriculture.
PharmaServ, a Nigerian firm that gives offline-capable distribution administration software program for medical suppliers additionally made large progress. “We’re at present finalizing negotiations with a public listed firm that plans to implement our system throughout their gross sales unit of 200 brokers in Nigeria,” introduced CEO Emeka Anyaorah.
Within the logistics sector, Jand2Gidi which rebranded to CargoPlug throughout this system made strides in its mission to provide a seamless and trackable logistics answer that eliminates uncertainty and reduces transit instances for transport throughout Africa. “We not too long ago launched a Shopify plug-in that offers 1.7million sellers the world over entry to a seamless transport answer to Africa customers”, introduced the COO of the Nigerian startup Ujama Akpata.
“To be able to supply the most effective costs to our prospects, we’re excited to announce our partnership with Nestle, the main FMCG model in Mali,” introduced Sodishop CEO Boubacar Biro Balde. The startup’s interconnected market affords a serious alternative to hundreds of sellers throughout Mali, Guinea, Senegal, and Ivory Coast by way of value-added companies resembling E mail & SMS advertising and marketing and Specific Supply.
Ghanaian local weather tech BD Waste continues to remodel how communities understand waste. “We have now began pilot tasks in 3 communities in Dakar which are acknowledged as a few of the most closely polluted areas within the nation,” says CEO Emmanuel Danso. “Primarily based on our preliminary assessments, we will gather 40 tons monthly, and cut back the garbage on the bottom by 90%.”
This can be a nice feat within the firm’s endeavor to allow a linked waste administration and recycling ecosystem by way of know-how.
Chestify, additionally hailing from Ghana is at present finalizing a partnership with Checkup Labs in Kenya to report their medical photographs. “They at present course of greater than 6 000 medical photographs monthly, and we might be decreasing their turnaround time by 80%,” says CEO Mustapha Zaidan. “We’re additionally excited to announce that on June twenty fifth, we’ll begin deploying Chestify into dozens of UNICEF associate hospitals throughout rural Ghana,” he added. The corporate pivoted throughout the ASIP Accelerator and is dedicated to connecting healthcare services to their system to gather CT scans, X-rays, MRIs, and pathology reviews.
When Ivorian startup Moja Ride joined the cohort, they had been properly on their technique to making a monetary answer for taxi drivers who are sometimes denied automotive loans as a result of banks deem them too dangerous. They launched Sobridge, an entity that gives a drive to personal options to those unbanked drivers. They overview drivers’ historic revenues to point out monetary establishments that these drivers should not a credit score danger. “We drastically cut back the danger of default by way of our pay-to-use mannequin together with our skill to gather funds instantly from the shopper fare, says co-founder Michelle Allade. Sobridge not too long ago finalized a partnership with Yango, the main Trip-Hailing firm in francophone Africa, and introduced a partnership with the Metropolis of Parcelles to fund a brand new fleet of 100 Klando automobiles.
Kenyan fintech constructed for Gen Z, Kyanda additionally made unimaginable strides throughout their time within the ASIP Program. They expanded into South Africa and have rolled out and are finalizing particulars on partnerships that may make Kyanda obtainable at greater than 20,000 Spaza outlets. “With our interoperable pockets as a service, we’re making funds and transactions seamless throughout the African continent,” stated Senior Tech Lead Victor Muriithi confidently.
In simply two months of being within the cohort, Ivorian startup Limawa was in a position to safe a pilot with Auchan which can generate $90k in income this yr. CEO Seydina Issa Seck and his group present photo voltaic refrigeration options that rework the best way meals is preserved and transported. ASIP powered by ”Startupbootcamp AfriTech gave us an unimaginable alternative to remodel our enterprise mannequin from merely constructing photo voltaic coolers for shoppers”, he says. In the present day, Limawa makes income by way of quick and long-term rental fashions.
ASIP powered by Startupbootcamp AfriTech is dedicated to empowering African startups and driving innovation on the continent. By connecting startups with a worldwide community of mentors, traders, and company companions, this system performs an important position in fostering entrepreneurship and catalyzing sustainable development within the African tech ecosystem. Purposes for Cohort 4 will open within the subsequent few months.
The success of the Demo Day in Dakar highlights the colourful startup tradition in Senegal and showcases the town as a burgeoning hub for tech innovation. With its strategic location, supportive ecosystem, and proficient pool of entrepreneurs, Dakar is poised to turn out to be a key participant within the African tech revolution.
About Africa Startup Initiative
ASIP is a program based by Moh Damush, Telecel Group CEO as a CSR exercise. ASI Program contributes in a significant technique to the African Continent to assist younger startups whose modern concepts are making a distinction of their communities, exposing them to worldwide organizations, and bridging the information and experience to permit them to draw companions that may add worth to their startups. For extra data on the ASIP, go to www.asiprogram.com
About Startupbootcamp AfriTech
Startupbootcamp AfriTech was launched in 2017 as the primary multi-corporate-backed pan-African startup accelerator. We run world-class accelerator packages, working with a few of the most disruptive startups on the continent. We offer entry to our international community of company companions, traders, and mentors. The SBC AfriTech portfolio at present has 60 African startups spanning 13 nations and working in sectors that embrace FinTech, InsureTech, Logistics, Mobility, AgriTech, and Digital Well being.
With our assist, 95% of SBC AfriTech alumni are nonetheless operational 2+ years after this system, and so they have an combination valuation of almost $1 Billion, and 22% have feminine co-founders.
For extra data go to: http://bit.ly/sbcafritech
About Telecel Group
Telecel Group operates in 4 totally different strains of enterprise all below the telecom business: (1) Telecel Cell, owns and operates a number of cellular operators in Africa and Europe; (2) Telecel World Providers, offers wholesale, enterprise, and digital safety companies to telecom operators and enterprises worldwide; (3) Telecel Play, a digital platform that’s digitizing cellular customers; and (4) Africa Startup Initiative Program helps modern startups in Africa and affords them funding and steerage to scale and For extra data on the Telecel Group program, go to http://telecelgroup.com
About Der/FJ
Der/FJ is an establishment below the authority of the Presidency of the Republic of Senegal and it was launched by President Macky Sall in 2018 as a way to assist entrepreneurs all through Senegal. This assist is given by way of each monetary and non-financial companies, with an emphasis on sectors that embrace know-how and innovation, therefore the creation of the D-hub incubator. For extra details about DER/FJ go to https://der.sn/
About FMO
FMO is the Dutch Entrepreneurial Growth Financial institution. As a number one influence investor, FMO helps sustainable personal sector development in growing nations and rising markets by investing in formidable tasks and entrepreneurs. FMO believes {that a} sturdy personal sector results in financial and social growth and has a near 50-year confirmed observe document of empowering folks to make use of their abilities and enhance their high quality of life. FMO focuses on three sectors which have a excessive growth influence: monetary establishments, vitality, and agribusiness, meals & water. With a dedicated portfolio of EUR 9.3 billion spanning over 85 nations, FMO is likely one of the bigger bilateral personal sector growth banks globally. For extra data: please go to www.fmo.nl
About ENRICH in Africa
ENRICH in Africa is a three-year mission funded below the European Union’s Horizon 2020 analysis and innovation programme designed to convey collectively core stakeholders from Africa and Europe as a way to assist and strengthen the European and African innovation ecosystem. Its predominant targets are to offer capability upgrading and assist to incubators and accelerators throughout each areas and facilitate the expansion of concepts and profitable outcomes by constructing a robust neighborhood with a basis within the supply of high quality companies. After the mission ends, actions and companies might be continued by the ENRICH in Africa Centre, which has not too long ago been launched. For extra data: please go to www.enrichinafrica.com
