Google has announced the next cohort of 11 tech startups that will participate in its second Launchpad Accelerator Africa class in Lagos.
Following the successful conclusion of the first Google Africa Launchpad Accelerator program in June, the company has announced the second class of tech startups which will benefit from the three-month accelerator program, according to Ventureburn.
Eleven startups were selected from a total of six countries, with the Africa-specific accelerator beginning this week in Lagos, Nigeria.
In June the Google Africa Launchpad Accelerator program opened applications for its second class of tech startups, extending it to 11 additional African countries, bringing the total number of countries eligible to apply up to 17, according to PCTechmag.
Startups throughout Africa took advantage of this, with over 250 applications coming in from 11 nations around the continent.
AppZone, Formplus, Medsaf and Thank U Cash are the startups chosen from Nigeria, while Pineapple and Preeva are the South African participants, according to ITWeb.
Other early-stage startups in the class include Cloud9xp and PayGo Energy from Kenya, Chalkboard Education from Ghana, EzyAgric from Uganda, and Mintrics from Egypt.
The startups, which have been selected because they are focused on solving unique African problems, will now undergo a three-month program in the Nigerian city, with Google providing mentorship, working space, travel, public relations support, and access to tech and business experts from Google, Silicon Valley, and Africa.
In the next three years, Google’s Launchpad Accelerator Africa program will offer $3 million in equity-free funding to over 60 startups across the continent, along with the benefits mentioned above.
The first class of 12 startups earlier in the year involved six of the selected companies from Nigeria, two from Kenya, and one each from Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana and South Africa.
Each startup received $10 000 in an equity-free cash grant, and between them, they have raised over $7 million, directly creating 132 jobs. Their products are being used by approximately 4.5 million people, according to Techfinancials.
Among the startups that graduated were Ghanaian new media startup OMG Digital, known as the “BuzzFeed of Africa”, Nigeria’s Piggybank.ng, an app which enables users to reach their savings targets through a combination of discipline and flexibility, Tanzanian media streaming startup TangoTV, and South African startup swiftVEE, an online platform that connects livestock agencies to a network of buyers and sellers.
The startups graduated on Jun. 8 following a three-month program during which 20 teams from Google as well as 40 mentors from nine countries including the U.K. and the U.S. were involved in mentoring the startups in Lagos, Nigeria.
