Flapmax has announced the twelve companies selected for the first cohort of the FAST startup accelerator created to help strengthen and scale Africa’s digital ecosystem.
In partnership with Microsoft, Flapmax’s twelve-week startup accelerator begins March 21st. The diverse class of entrepreneurs come from 6 different countries, serve 9 industries, and include 2 female founders.
More than 800 applications from 25 countries in Africa were received for the first FAST accelerator cohort.
The countries with the most applicants included Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Ghana, and Egypt.
Applicants represented a diverse mix of technology and cloud-based products and services serving residents and businesses throughout Africa.
Industries represented by the application pool included AgTech, EdTech, HealthTech, FinTech and more.
“Microsoft believes that African startups are well-placed to become a cornerstone of the African digital economy, with relevant solutions to local societal challenges.
Participation in the FAST startup accelerator program will help these entrepreneurs capture available funding opportunities and plan for growth and future market expansion,” says Gerald Maithya, Startups Lead, Microsoft Africa Transformation Office.
“In partnership with the Microsoft team, we are bringing together a unique mix of technology business and innovative entrepreneurs to build and scale societally impactful solutions that enable digital transformation across industries, as well as an introduction to cloud and AI-integration tools designed to unlock new value for their businesses,” says Dave Ojika, founder and CEO, Flapmax.
FAST applicants had to be based in Africa, ready to scale or expand within the continent, and have an established product-market fit while addressing one or more Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
