- Google has shared that 5 300 SMEs have graduated from the company’s Hustle Academy.
- More than 10 000 have graduated from the Hustle Academy since it launched in February 2022.
- Google says that 80 percent of the SMEs that have graduated, have experience some form of growth as a result.
The second cohort of African small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to graduate from Google’s Hustle Academy have been confirmed, with the tech giant holding a ceremony this week to celebrate the achievement.
5 300 SMEs in particular graduated in 2023, with 5 000 entrepreneurs doing so in the inaugural Hustle Academy last year, totalling more than 10 000 since it was first announced in February 2022.
“This milestone underscores their dedication to improving business acumen and skill sets. The graduation ceremonies, which took place in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria demonstrates the impact of the program, with over 10,000 entrepreneurs across Africa benefiting from it since its launch in 2022,” adds Google in a release shared with Hypertext.
For those unfamiliar with this initiative, it was first spun up as a way for Google to help address some of the challenges faced by African small businesses and entrepreneurs, specifically providing practical skills and resource for business growth.
“The determination and growth exhibited by these SMBs is commendable. The Hustle Academy program stands as a beacon of what practical training and resource provision can accomplish. Today’s graduation is not only a celebration of their hard work but also an acknowledgment of their role in enriching the South African business environment,” says Alistair Mokoena (pictured above), country director for Google South Africa, at said ceremony.
Along with acknowledging the graduates, the ceremony also saw Google unveil the Hustle Academy Impact Report, which was conducted in an effort to quantify the initiative’s success. Here it found that 80 percent of entrepreneurs who completed the Hustle Academy reported revenue growth thereafter.
The report also found that upon graduating from the program, there has been an average creation of four jobs for every 10 businesses.
To find out more about the initiative, as well as potentially being part of a future cohort, head here.
[Images – Provided]
