Two African tech startups are expected to take part in the upcoming cohort of the Austin, Texas-based Techstars accelerator program alongside eight American companies.
Ghanaian agricultural tech firm Cowtribe and Nigerian insurance tech firm Wella Health have been chosen to join the Techstars Impact Accelerator 2019 Class, according to a Techstars blog post.
Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 53: Frederick Hutson
Part 1: Jamarlin talks to justice-tech pioneer Frederick Hutson, who founded Pigeonly to create communications products for inmates and their families that reduce the destructive impact of incarceration. They talk about his time in the pen for selling marijuana, developing the Pigeonly idea on the inside, and raising capital from investors. They discuss Pigeonly defeating lobbyists from the prison industrial complex and how we can weaponize technology to fight back and solve problems that disproportionately impact African Americans.
TechStars hosts three-month programs for global tech startups focused on addressing social or environmental problems.
The accelerator usually invests $120,000 in startups selected for the class, with backing from investors that include Morgan Stanley Investment Management’s AIP Private Markets Team and Impact America Fund.
Ghana-based startup Cowtribe uses mobile technology to connect livestock farmers with veterinarians who can provide the necessary vaccinations, serving a high growth market in Ghana and beyond, Ventureburn reports.
Cowtribe was founded in 2015 by CEO Awin Peter and COO Alima Bawah. The startup raised $300,000 through the U.S.-based Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation in November 2018, according to Crunchbase.
Nigerian insurance tech company Wella Health is a pharmacy marketplace for affordable, high-quality disease care driven by artificial intelligence. It was founded in 2017 by Dr. Ikpeme Neto, a medical doctor from Abuja.
The startup is particularly interested in the treatment of malaria, which remains a major threat in many parts of Africa. Wella Health offers malaria insurance to cover tests and medication from around $1.17 per month, according to Ventureburn.
Wella Health also helps pharmacies to build clientele and revenue through its online platform.
The Nigerian startup recently graduated from the third Google Launchpad Accelerator Africa class in Lagos, Techfinancials reported.
