- Google has selected the 11 startups that will be part of its inaugural Africa AI First Accelerator.
- The startups will undergo a 10-week accelerator journey, with access to $350k worth of Google Cloud credits.
- The South African startup chosen for the Accelerator is Avalon Health.
In August this year, Google announced that it would be piloting its first startup accelerator looking for promising companies working with artificial intelligence on the African continent. Now the first cohort has been confirmed for the inaugural Africa AI First Accelerator program.
A total of 11 startups have been chosen from countries across Africa, with SA also featuring with one startup too.
“The 11 startups, picked from a vast pool of innovative talent, are using cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence to address both Africa’s challenges and broader global issues,” explains Google in a press release sent to Hypertext.
The tech giant adds that the selected startups will undergo a 10-week accelerator journey. As part of the program, the startups will have access to Google’s AI expertise, as well as a $350 000 allocation in Google Cloud Credits, along with the benefit of mentorship sessions, technical guidance, and networking opportunities.
The 11 startups chosen for the Africa AI First Accelerator program are:
- “Avalon Health (South Africa): Empowers patients with streamlined online healthcare access and offers doctors digital tools to enhance care,
- Chatbots Africa (Ghana): Spearheading SMEs’ transition into the Social Commerce era with AI-driven online storefronts,
- Dial Afrika Inc (Kenya): Tailoring customer support tools for global businesses, with a focus on African SMBs,
- Famasi Africa (Nigeria): Building the OS for pharmacies in emerging markets,
- Fastagger Inc (Kenya): Using AI to amplify sales and loyalty, supporting MSMEs’ growth,
- Garri Logistics (Ethiopia): Digitalizing freight brokerage and transport services,
- Izifin (Nigeria): Providing an end-to-end credit infrastructure via API for small businesses,
- Lengo AI (Senegal): Launching the first Data-Driven OS for the Informal Sector,
- Logistify AI (Uganda): Minimising inventory losses in industrial facilities,
- Telliscope (Ethiopia): Offering an AI-enabled business intelligence platform, and
- Vzy (Nigeria): Revolutionising website building with AI-driven tools that craft sites in mere minutes.”
“AI is not only a powerful enabler, it’s also a major platform shift. That’s why we’re focused on making it easy and scalable for others to innovate with AI. Our chosen startups for the ‘AI First’ program embody this vision, leveraging AI in pioneering ways to address both local and global challenges. We’re here excited to support and amplify their impact,” enthuses Folarin Aiyegbusi, head of the Startup Ecosystem for Africa at Google.
It will be interesting to see what this first cohort accomplishes after completing the program.
[Image – Provided]
