Nigerian startups dominate the list of recipients of 2022 Google for Startups Black Founders Fund in Africa

Google has released the list of recipients of the 2022 Google for Startups Black Founders Fund in Africa. Out of the 60 startups selected as beneficiaries, 23 of them are from Nigeria. Other countries represented include:

• Kenya
• Rwanda
• South Africa
• Uganda
• Ghana
• Cameroon
• Ethiopia
• Botswana
• Senegal

The Google for Startups Black Founders Fund in Africa is one of the four broad initiatives to support the continent’s digital transformation announced by Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai in a Google Africa event in 2021. Google announced that it was going to invest $1 billion in Africa to improve connectivity across the continent and invest in startups over the next five years.

Each startup will receive $100,000 in non-dilutive cash awards, paired with up to $200,000 in Google Cloud credits per startup. The startups will also receive ongoing hands-on business and technical mentorship from Google’s network of mentors and facilitators, learning the best practices on a range of topics from artificial intelligence, organizational culture, people management, to growth strategies and more.

Since introducing the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund in Africa in 2021, Google has supported 50 startups from nine African countries that have gone on to raise over $87 million and created 518 jobs.

Here are the 2022 Google for Startups Black Founders Fund in Africa recipients:

• Agrikool (South Africa): Agrikool is an agritech platform that connects farming producers and buyers to a fair and reliable market.
• Ajua (Kenya): Ajua is an end to end operating system for SMEs to build a credible online presence, get feedback on their business and manage the relationship with their customers
• Awabah (Nigeria): Awabah is a digital pensions platform for Africa’s workforce
• BAG Innovation (Rwanda): BAG Innovation is a virtual and gamified platform that offers real-time access to experiential learning for University students and recent graduates
• Bailport (Rwanda): Baliport is a cross-border, multi-currency payment platform focused on enabling Intra-Africa & Africa Outbound money transfer through Blockchain
• Bee (Cameroon): Bee finances motorcycles to drivers while also providing training and access to jobs.
• Bookings Africa (Nigeria): Bookings Africa enables Africa’s gig workforce to digitize and monetize their skill by connecting clients efficiently and transparently to skilled talent across Africa.
• Brastorne (Botswana): Brastorne connects the unconnected in Africa, enabling rural villagers to have access to the digital world without smartphones or data.
• Built (Ghana): Built enables access to business and financial tools for Sub-Saharan African small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
• BuuPass (Kenya): BuuPass is a travel startup – building digital rails for Africa’s intercity transport industry and supporting bus, train & flight transportation
• Cauri Money (Senegal): Cauri Money is a cashless remittance platform helping African migrants move money from around the world into mobile wallets in Africa.
• Clafiya (Nigeria): Clafiya connects individuals, families, and businesses to health practitioners – enabling access to convenient, quality, and affordable, on-demand primary care from their mobile phones
• ClinicPesa (Uganda): ClinicPesa provides an easy-to-use platform where low-income users can set aside funds as low as $0.30 daily dedicated towards healthcare and get access to healthcare loans
• COVA (Cameroon): COVA are a digital insurance platform that enables partner businesses to easily and seamlessly deliver insurance products to their users
• CreditAIs (South Africa): CreditAIs provide credit scoring tools for micro-businesses and individuals that do not fit the existing traditional credit scoring models
• DohYangu (Kenya): DohYangu enables end consumers in Africa to shop FMCG products & get cashback rewards at various retail stores, saving up to 25%
• Easy Matatu (Uganda): Easy Matatu provides a mobile platform that allows commuters to book and pay for scheduled rides on vetted and inspected minibuses
• Eden Life (Nigeria): 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.
• Estate Intel (Nigeria): Estate Intel provides reliable data to businesses that are investing or operating in the African real estate space.
• Eversend (Uganda): Eversend is a neobank, providing critical financial products in Sub-Saharan Africa – including cross-border financial services.
• Exuus (Rwanda): Exuus empowers informal saving groups with a digital ledger, digital wallet, decentralized social credit score, and instant micro-loans to both groups and individuals.
• Flex Finance (Nigeria): Flex Finance helps businesses in Africa manage approval workflow, access credit, issue corporate cards to employees and make disbursements all from one platform.
• FlexPay (Kenya): FlexPay are a merchant-embedded digital savings platform that rewards customers for saving up for purchases – a save now buy later (SNBL) solution at checkout
• Gamr (Nigeria): Gamr is an eSports tournament aggregation platform, helping African gamers discover tournaments they can play and get rewarded.
• Garri Logistics (Ethiopia): Garri Logistics matches shippers looking to move cargo with vehicle owners and drivers, while finding optimal route pairings to reduce empty miles.
• Haul 247 (Nigeria): Haul247 is a logistics platform that connects manufacturing companies and farmers with trucks and warehouses
• Healthlane (Cameroon): Healthlane provides advanced comprehensive health screening and personalized plans, biometric monitoring, genetic analysis, in-person and virtual visits with top-rated doctors
• Healthtracka (Nigeria): Healthtracka is a platform that allows users access on-demand healthcare services in the comfort of their homes.
• HerVest (Nigeria): HerVest offers a highly secured, women-focused financial platform that enables women to participate in key financial services, with a focus on female farmers
• Kapsule (Rwanda): Kapsule is a data as a service company that helps healthcare providers, insurers, and pharmaceutical companies to make better decisions.
• Keep IT Cool (Kenya): Keep IT Cool is a fast-growing social enterprise that leverages technology to strengthen the African aquaculture and poultry Value Chain through cold chain and storage.
• KUDIGO (Ghana): KUDIGO offers an omni-channel digital commerce platform to empower micro and small businesses in Africa
• Kyshi (Nigeria): Kyshi provides multi-currency accounts and remittance services to and from Africa.
• Leja (Kenya): Leja is an Android/USSD application enabling African micro-entrepreneurs to digitize all their business transactions and manage all their finance in one place.
• LifeBank (Nigeria): 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.
• Mapha (South Africa): Mapha provides delivery as a service to businesses in peri-urban & township areas.
• Norebase (Nigeria): 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.
• OneHealth (Nigeria): OneHealth is an online pharmacy & healthcare platform that provides access to medicines, healthcare information, and solutions (Laboratory services & Doctors) to the last mile patient.
• PesaChoice (Rwanda): PesaChoice bridges the gap in liquidity for low-middle income earners across the continent and drives access to financial services.
• Pindo (Rwanda): Pindo is a cloud communication platform for businesses, optimized for developers.
• Pivo (Nigeria): Pivo is a credit focused digital bank for trade, supporting businesses across Africa
• QShop (Nigeria): QShop is an easy to use DIY e-commerce platform designed to help small and medium-sized businesses scale and sell better online.
• Rekisa (South Africa): Rekisa helps businesses create their eCommerce websites and we also help them with various digital marketing activities
• Scrapays (Nigeria): Scrapays is creating an operating system infrastructure for the recycling value chain in developing nations.
• Shiip (Nigeria): Shiip leverages web, mobile and API technology to connect individuals & businesses to delivery services in and out of Africa
• Solutech (Kenya): Solutech helps field sales teams sell more and efficiently by leveraging powerful insights while providing FMCG companies with real-time data for day-to-day and strategic decision-making.
• Spleet (Nigeria): Spleet leverages a ‘Rent Now, Pay Late’ model to drive our mission to ensure that every African can afford a space to live in.
• Stears (Nigeria): 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.
• Synnefa (Kenya): Synnefa is building Africa’s first mini-farm ERP connected to IoT sensors that provide soil data which we combine with farmer activity data to create a farmer experience score that we pass on to financial partners to use on their credit score
• Technovera (South Africa): Technovera has developed Pelebox- a Smart Locker Dispensing System that enables patients to collect their repeat chronic medication in under 30 seconds
• TERAWORK (Nigeria): TERAWORK is an online freelance marketplace focused on matching freelancers to service buyers.
• TIBU Health (Kenya): TIBU Health is an omnichannel HealthTech company connecting patients to healthcare services and professionals at a time and location of their choosing.
• Topset Education (Nigeria): Topset Education is an edtech platform that makes quality education accessible to Africans everywhere
• TopUp Mama (Kenya): TopUp Mama enables restaurants in Africa to purchase food supplies, access financial services and manage their business.
• Wellahealth (Nigeria): Wellahealth provides technology and financial tools to healthcare providers and patients to enable affordability and accessibility of healthcare in emerging markets.
• Xente (Uganda): Xente is a digital financial platform with in-built spend management to support businesses across Africa
• Zanifu (Kenya): Zanifu enable SMEs purchase inventory and pay later
• ZayRide (Ethiopia): ZayRide is a customer centric on-demand taxi service offering fast, convenient service throughout local areas in Ethiopia
• Zuberi (Ghana): Zuberi is a fintech platform based out of Accra, built to provide financial products and services to salaried workers in a way they have never experienced before
• Zuri Health (Kenya): Zuri Health provides affordable and accessible healthcare services to patients across Sub-Saharan Africa via mobile app, website, Whatsapp chatbot and SMS service.