Co-Creation Hub announces participants of inaugural FbStart Accelerator cohort

Lagos-based Co-Creation Hub (CcHub), in partnership with Facebook, has announced the 15 teams of students and startups selected for the first FbStart Accelerator cohort currently underway at NG_Hub in Nigeria.

The six-month accelerator, which kicked off with a bootcamp on 31 August, focuses on research and mentorship around deep tech solutions, namely in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), the Internet of Things (IoT) and data science.

In a series of tweets announcing the commencement of the cohort — which is comprised of 10 student and five startup teams — CcHub said the teams will receive up to $20 000 in equity free-funding, partner credits, mentorship and support.

The FbStart Accelerator’s six-month research and mentorship driven programme is focused on solutions applying AI, data science, IoT, AR and VR

In addition, the 10 student teams will be provided with access to $5 000 for BSc students, $10 000 for MSc students and $15 000 for PhD students.

The accelerator programme was announced earlier this year when Facebook opened NG_Hub, its first community hub in Africa.

The 15 teams selected for the 2018 FbStart Accelerator cohort are:

RoadPreppers: Led by Samuel Odeloye, the team has developed Lara.ng, a chatbot with applications in public transit directions.

Quadron Studio: This team is led by Uche Anisiuba and has developed QVES, a VR safety training solution that prepares enterprise workers for emergency situations through immersive virtual training experiences.

Gricd Agroservices: Oghenetega Iortim’s team has developed GRICD Frij, an affordable and efficient IoT-powered storage device that complements existing storage medium to extend the shelf life of tomatoes.

Vetsark: Vetsark is a web-based platform that uses disease report data to predict, prevent and manage disease outbreaks, for the benefit of livestock farmers, veterinarians and public health officials. The team is led by Blessing Mene.

AI Commons: Moses Olafenwa’s team has developed DeepStack, a suite of Dockerized AI server software that enables developers to easily build, deploy and manage AI powered applications on their private servers and edge IoT gateways.

Project Move: Tade Ajiboye and his team have come up with Project Move, a VR accessory which significantly improves immersion and interaction in mobile driven VR systems.

Up NEPA: Upnepa.ng is an IoT-powered analytics platform that monitors, records and predicts electricity supply. This team is led by Salaudeen Abdulrahman.

Treplabs: Alayande Abdulwaheed Abiola’s team has developed the REALDRIP system which prevents back flow of blood during drip treatment by monitoring flow rate, volume administered and automating the process.

Team Kanji: Damilola Okelana’s team has developed Kanji Drive, an immersive driving simulator based in Lagos that teaches users how to drive using a GT racing rig set up.

Cycles: Cycles is a bike-sharing service for short and medium commutes within Nigerian communities. The Cycles team is led by Soladoye Damilola.

Insyt: Ofoedu Frank Ebuka’s team has developed Insyt, a sentiment analysis software that provides businesses with a means to improve customer satisfaction via opinion mining in local languages.

SayPeace: Salisu Zubairu Gaya and his team have developed SayPeace, an AI-powered tool for monitoring hate speech on social media in real-time to predict possible occurrence of violence.

Chiniki Guard: Abdulhakim Bashir and his team have developed Chiniki Guard, a monitoring, analysis and reporting software for security cameras. Chiniki uses AI to estimate human poses and detect shoplifting and theft in retail stores.

Plant Doctor: PlantDoctor is an application that uses AI to diagnose plant diseases and suggest solutions to farmers and agricultural extension workers. The Plant Doctor team is led by Atoyebi Faith Toluwanimi.

Smart Electricity: Ezeh Livinus and his team are researching the use of wireless electricity to power appliances in homes and offices.

Read more: Facebook to take on Google in Nigeria with new hub, $20 000 accelerator
Read more: ‘Facebook $20k grants via NG_Hub to tackle Nigeria’s innovation gap’ [Q&A]