Google Launchpad accelerator is an annual programme that seeks to provide access to the best of Google. From the people, network and advanced technologies, Google helps startups to build great products through mentorship opportunities, meet up events and trainings all through the Launchpad accelerator Programme.
This year over 12 startups have qualified for the 3rd class in Africa. Startups were chosen from Algeria, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote D’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
Google reviewed over 1,000 startups applications from Africa, Brazil, and India for this year’s launchpad accelerator. Selection of qualifying startups was done depending on the impact to key industries per region. Google will in return support, connect and expose them to more lively startup ecosystems around the world.
Qualified African Startups
- 54Gene (Nigeria) – Improving drug discovery by researching the genetically diverse African population
- Data Integrated Limited (Kenya) – Automating and digitizing SME payments, connecting the street to high finance.
- Instadiet.me (Egypt) – Connecting patients to credible nutritionists and dietitians to help them maintain a healthy and optimal weight online.
- Kwara (Kenya) – Providing a rich digital banking platform to established fair lenders such as credit unions or savings and credit cooperatives (SACCOs), with an open API to enable and accelerate their inclusion into the formal financial ecosystem.
- OkHi (Kenya) – A physical addressing platform for emerging markets – on a mission to enable the billions without a physical address to “be included.”
- PAPS (Senegal) – Logistics startup focused on last mile delivery and domestic market, with strong client care orientation, allowing live tracking, intelligent addresses system, and automatic dispatch.
- ScholarX (Nigeria) – Connecting high potential students with funding opportunities to help them access an education
- Swipe2pay (Uganda) – A web and mobile payments solution that democratizes electronic payments for SMEs by making it easy for them to accept mobile as a mode of payment.
- Tambua Health Inc. (Kenya) – Turning a normal smartphone into a powerful, non-invasive diagnostic tool for Tuberculosis and Pneumonia. It uses a cough sound acoustic signature, symptoms, risk factors, and clinical information to come up with a diagnostic report.
- Voyc.ai (South Africa) – A CX Research Platform that helps companies understand their customers by turning their customer research into insights, profiles, and customer journey maps.
- WellaHealth (Nigeria) – A pharmacy marketplace for affordable, high-quality disease care driven by artificial intelligence starting with malaria.
- Zelda Learning (South Africa) – Providing free online career guidance for students looking to enter university and linking them to funding and study opportunities.
Kenya leads the pike with 4 startups followed by SouthAfrica with 2 as Uganda will be represented by Swipe2Pay. Successful startups will meet Silicon Valley experts together with a close Google partnership for 3 months accompanied by Global media opportunities.
All in all, it’s a thumbs up trend for successful startups as the Launchpad accelerator has always been a perfect breeding ground for startups around the world.