Accelerator Programs For African Startups

 5 Accelerator Programs For African Startups

 

An accelerator program supports early-stage growth-driven companies through education, mentorship, and financing. African entrepreneurs and founders should consider these accelerator programs that work with African start-ups.

MEST Africa

Located in Accra Ghana, Lagos Nigeria, Cape town South Africa and Nairobi Kenya. MEST offers incubation for tech startups in Africa. They have trained over 500 people and funded over 80 businesses with a reach of over 30 countries. These software companies are tackling Africa's biggest problems across industries. Their investment size is $50k to $250k.

Antler

Based in Nairobi Kenya, this accelerator program has had over 50,000 applicants to date and funded over 400 startups. They help remove the barriers to entrepreneurship by providing founders with funding, access to a global network of advisers, and a clear path to raising capital. They also offer funds of up to $100,000 for the startup.

Co-Creation Hub

Based in Nigeria, this accelerator is a 12-week program that helps Nigerian startups refine their programs, business model, and processes positioning them for success in the long run. They have graduated over 40+ startups and created over 500 jobs in Nigeria. They fund startups up to $250,000.

Hseven

This being the largest African Accelerator is based in Morocco. They accelerate world-class African start-ups led by Moroccans, Africans, and Africans at heart (not sure what that means). Their six-month programs are aimed at a 3-month growth phase to develop partnerships with major corporations to prepare for investor meetings. The selected startups will benefit from seed money of up to 150,000 Euros for 5 to 7% equity and another investment of 500,000 to 1.5 million Euros at the end of the program.

Startup Wise Guys

Based in Kenya this accelerator is for startups based in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, and Ghana. They want to work with startups with initial traction, a solid team, and a focus in these industries; Fintech, Agritech, edtech, cleantech, health tech, and retail tech. They want early-stage digital B2B and SaaS startups. They will give funding of up to $65,000 for up to 12% equity.

There are many more accelerator programs looking to fund and develop African startups, but these are the biggest ones on the continent. Do you have a startup? What industry is it in? Comment below and we will reply with an accelerator program that you may benefit from.