American multinational technology company, Google has been on a mission in offering support to innovative startups by helping founders turn their big ideas into successful businesses.
According to the company, its Google For Startups Black Founders Fund Programme, which began in April 2012, has created over 4,600 jobs and raised more than $290 million in funding.
Recently, the company selected 60 startups for its second Black Founders Fund Cohort for equity-free $4m funding. Each selected startup will receive a total of $ 4 million in funding and support to enable them to scale up their ongoing work.
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Also, these startups will receive support in the form of a 6-month training program that includes access to a network of mentors to assist in tackling challenges that are peculiar to them. They will also be part of tailored workshops, support networks, and community-building sessions.
It is interesting to note that the selected grantees were made up of 50% women-led businesses, with countries such as Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, and Uganda.
These startups specialize in sectors such as fintech, healthcare, e-commerce, logistics, agtech, education, hospitality, and smart cities.
According to the Head of Startup Ecosystem, SSA, Folarin Aiyegbusi, he disclosed that the Black Founders Fund Program was set up to bridge the gap of disproportionate funding between expat startups over local and black-led companies.
In his words;
“Africa is a diverse continent with massive opportunity but the continent is faced with the challenge of limited diversity in venture capital funding flow. We hope that the Black Founders Fund program will be able to bridge the gap of disproportionate funding between expat startups over local and black-led companies.”
It is however interesting to note that African most populous nation, Nigeria, dominated the list with 23 startups.
Check out the list of Nigerian startups that were selected for the Black Founders Fund Program
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Eden Life: Eden Life provides an operating system for receiving and rendering essential services in Africa – focused on offering food, cleaning, laundry, and beauty services to our customers.
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Haul 247: Haul247 is a logistics platform that connects manufacturing companies and farmers with trucks and warehouses.
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HerVest: HerVest offers a highly secured, women-focused financial platform that enables women to participate in key financial services, with a focus on female farmers
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Norebase: Norebase provides a single digital platform and technology tools for entrepreneurs and businesses to start, scale, and operate in any African country and the United States.
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QShop: QShop is an easy-to-use DIY e-commerce platform designed to help small and medium-sized businesses scale and sell better online.
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OneHealth: OneHealth is an online pharmacy & healthcare platform that provides access to medicines, healthcare information, and solutions (Laboratory services & Doctors) to the last mile patient.
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LifeBank: LifeBank leverages technology to provide value in multiple segments (production, marketplace, and distribution) of the healthcare supply chain such as blood, oxygen, and medical supplies.
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Shiip: Shiip leverages web, mobile and API technology to connect individuals & businesses to delivery services in and out of Africa.
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Terawork: Terawork is an online freelance marketplace focused on matching freelancers to service buyers.
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Wellahealth: Wellahealth provides technology and financial tools to healthcare providers and patients to enable the affordability and accessibility of healthcare in emerging markets.
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Scrapays: Scrapays is creating an operating system infrastructure for the recycling value chain in developing nations.
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Flex Finance: Flex Finance helps businesses in Africa manage approval workflow, access credit, issue corporate cards to employees and make disbursements all from one platform.
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Gamr: Gamr is an eSports tournament aggregation platform, that helps African gamers discover tournaments they can play and get rewarded.
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Pivo: Pivo is a credit-focused digital bank for trade, supporting businesses across Africa.
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Topset Education: Topset Education is an edtech platform that makes quality education accessible to Africans everywhere
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Stears: Stears is a financial intelligence company providing subscription-based content & data to global professionals. Our mission is to build the world’s most trusted provider of African data.
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Healthtracka: Healthtracka is a platform that allows users to access on-demand healthcare services in the comfort of their homes.
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Estate Intel: Estate Intel provides reliable data to businesses that are investing or operating in the African real estate space.
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Spleet: Spleet leverages a ‘Rent Now, Pay Late’ model to drive our mission to ensure that every African can afford a space to live in.
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Bookings Africa: Bookings Africa enables Africa’s gig workforce to digitize and monetize their skill by connecting clients efficiently and transparently to skilled talent across Africa.
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Clafiya: Clafiya connects individuals, families, and businesses to health practitioners – enabling access to convenient, quality, and affordable, on-demand primary care from their mobile phones
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Awabah: Awabah is a digital pension platform for Africa’s workforce.
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Kyshi: Kyshi provides multi-currency accounts and remittance services to and from Africa.