Twenty startups have been selected for the fifth edition of Google for Startups Accelerator Africa programme, according to a report in Ventureburn.
Launched in 2017, the programme formerly known as Google Launchpad Accelerator programme has worked with 47 startups from 17 African countries in four editions.
According to Google, startups that participate in the three-month-long programme have access to mentorship, funding, and PR support, among other incentives.
In the fourth cohort last year, it selected 12 startups from Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
The startups were Afara Partners, TradeBuza, Xend, REACH, Tulaa, WorkPay, Elewa, OZE, Eversend, Phenomenal Technologies, Sortd, and Brandbook.
For the fifth cohort this year, things are different.
First, due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, Google says it will be moving the programme online and startups will participate remotely.
Unlike last year which saw 12 startups in the three-month programme, this year will have a combined class of 20 startups and the programme will run from June 29 until September 11.
Also, every month (July-September) will see startups participate in a one-week virtual boot camp.
Ventureburn reports that the cohort in 2019 featured startups offering financial, marketplaces, big data, education, agriculture professional services.
This year’s startups are involved in these spaces: logistics, transportation, education, agriculture, e-commerce, media, health and professional services.
They include eight startups from Nigeria, six from Kenya, two from South Africa, one each from Ghana, Tunisia, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe.
The Nigeria startups are fintech startup Credpal, event ticketing startup Festival Coins, agritech startup Crop2Cash, insurance startup Curacel, legal startup Judy, media startup Stears, freight startup Send and SaaS healthtech startup The Smarthub.
Startups from Kenya include logistics startup AmiTruck, transport startup BuuPass, a fintech startup, Crediation, SaaS healthtech service, Ilara Health; enterprise retail platform, Uzapoint and edtech startup Zuka Data Science.
South African startups include fintech platform, Franc and media startup, Beamm.
Transport service, Zayride and logistics platform, Thumeza represent Ethiopia and Zimbabwe respectively while Ghanaian health startup, Adi+Bolga and Tunisian fintech startup, Kaoun complete the list.
