Google just recently announced that 60 eligible black-founded startups across Africa have been selected for the second cohort of Google for Startups Black Founders Fund (BFF) for Africa. The startups that have been selected to join the program will receive a total of $4 million in funding and support to enable them to scale up their ongoing work. According to Google, the Startups Black Founders Fund program, which began in April 2012, has created over 4,600 jobs and raised more than $290 million in funding.
It says it will introduce the grantees to Google’s products, connections, and best practices to allow them to level the playing field as they develop better products and services that benefit the African economy. The grantees will participate in customized workshops, support networks, and community-building activities. They’ll also receive a 6-month training that includes access to a network of mentors to help them tackle challenges that are unique to them.
They’ll receive awards of $50,000 to $100,000 and up to $200,000 in Google Cloud credit.
Nigeria has the most grantees (23), with Kenya (12), Rwanda (6), South Africa (5), and Uganda (4) completing the top five. Cameroon (3), Ghana (3), Ethiopia (2), Botswana (1), and Senegal (1) round up the list.
According to TechPoint, in 2021, 93% of the funding raised went to startups with a male CEO, and startups with an all-female founding team or a single female founder raised less than 1% of the funding. To help close this gap, 50% of the grantees are female-led businesses focusing on fintech, healthcare, eCommerce, logistics, Agritech, education, hospitality, and smart cities.
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.
According to Folarin Aiyegbusi, Google Head of Startup Ecosystem for Africa.
Below is a list of 37 startups selected for the second cohort of the Black Founders Fund in Africa:
| S/N | Name | Country | About |
| 1. | Agrikool | South Africa | Agrikool is an agritech platform that connects farming producers and buyers to a fair and reliable market. |
| 2. | Ajua | Kenya | Ajua is an end-to-end operating system for SMEs to build a credible online presence, get feedback on their businesses and manage the relationship with their customers |
| 3. | Awabah | Nigeria | Awabah is a digital pensions platform for Africa’s workforce |
| 4. | 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 |
| 5. | Bailport | Rwanda | Baliport is a cross-border, multi-currency payment platform focused on enabling intra-Africa & Africa outbound money transfers through blockchain. |
| 6. | Bee | Cameroon | Bee finances motorcycles to drivers while also providing training and access to jobs. |
| 7. | Bookings Africa | Nigeria | Bookings Africa enables Africa’s gig workforce to digitise and monetize their skills by connecting clients efficiently and transparently to skilled talent across Africa. |
| 8. | Brastorne | Botswana | Brastorne connects the unconnected in Africa, enabling rural villages to have access to the digital world without smartphones or data. |
| 9. | Built | Ghana | Built enables access to business and financial tools for Sub-Saharan African small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). |
| 10. | BuuPass | Kenya | BuuPass is a travel startup – building digital rails for Africa’s intercity transport industry and supporting bus, train & flight transportation |
| 11. | Cauri Money | Senegal | Cauri Money is a cashless remittance platform helping African migrants move money from around the world into mobile wallets in Africa. |
| 12. | 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 |
| 13. | 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 |
| 14. | COVA | Cameroon | COVA is a digital insurance platform that enables partner businesses to easily and seamlessly deliver insurance products to their users |
| 15. | CreditAIs | South Africa | CreditAIs provides credit scoring tools for micro-businesses and individuals that do not fit the existing traditional credit scoring models |
| 16. | DohYangu | Kenya | DohYangu enables end consumers in Africa to shop FMCG products & get cashback rewards at various retail stores, saving up to 25% |
| 17. | Easy Matatu | Uganda | Easy Matatu provides a mobile platform that allows commuters to book and pay for scheduled rides on vetted and inspected minibuses |
| 18. | 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 their customers. |
| 19. | Estate Intel | Nigeria | Estate Intel provides reliable data to businesses that are investing or operating in the African real estate space. |
| 20. | Eversend | Uganda | Eversend is a neobank, providing critical financial products in Sub-Saharan Africa – including cross-border financial services. |
| 21. | Exuus | Rwanda | Exuus empowers informal saving groups with a digital ledger, digital wallet, decentralised social credit score, and instant micro-loans to both groups and individuals. |
| 22. | Flex Finance | Nigeria | Flex Finance helps businesses in Africa to manage approval workflow, access credit, issue corporate cards to employees and make disbursements all from one platform. |
| 23. | FlexPay | Kenya | FlexPay is a merchant-embedded digital savings platform that rewards customers for saving up for purchases – a save now buy later (SNBL) solution at checkout. |
| 24. | Gamr | Nigeria | Gamr is an eSports tournament aggregation platform, helping African gamers discover tournaments they can play in and get rewarded for. |
| 25. | 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. |
| 26. | Haul 247 | Nigeria | Haul247 is a logistics platform that connects manufacturing companies and farmers with trucks and warehouses. |
| 27. | Healthlane | Cameroon | Healthlane provides advanced comprehensive health screening and personalised plans, biometric monitoring, genetic analysis as well as in-person and virtual visits with top-rated doctors . |
| 28. | Healthtracka | Nigeria | Healthtracka is a platform that allows users access on-demand healthcare services in the comfort of their homes. |
| 29.. | 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. |
| 30. | Kapsule | Rwanda | Kapsule is a data as a service company that helps healthcare providers, insurers, and pharmaceutical companies to make better decisions |
| 31. | Keep IT Cool | Kenya | Keep IT Cool is an early-stage, fast-growing social enterprise that leverages technology to strengthen the African aquaculture and poultry value chain through cold chain and storage |
| 32. | KUDIGO | Ghana | KUDIGO offers an omni-channel digital commerce platform to empower micro and small businesses in Africa |
| 33. | Kyshi | Nigeria | Kyshi provides multi-currency accounts and remittance services to and from Africa |
| 34. | Leja | Kenya | Leja is an Android/USSD application enabling African micro-entrepreneurs to digitise all their business transactions and manage all their finance in one place |
| 35. | 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 |
| 36. | Mapha | South Africa | Mapha provides delivery as a service to businesses in peri-urban & township areas |
| 37. | 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. |
