Google announces 15 women-led start-ups for Africa accelerator

Google has taken a significant step towards empowering women entrepreneurs in Africa by announcing three initiatives aimed at providing resources to help them succeed. The search engine giant has launched the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa: Women Founders Cohort, the Hustle Academy for Women-Led SMEs, and a social media series, #WomeninIT, to celebrate inspiring women in Africa’s technology sector.

Google for Startups Accelerator Africa: Women Founders Cohort is an initiative aimed at empowering women entrepreneurs by providing them with access to funding, mentorship, and networking opportunities.

The programme is focused on helping entrepreneurs in eight African countries that are creating innovative solutions to improve livelihoods in their communities. It aims to bridge the gap and empower women to succeed in their respective fields.

The Hustle Academy is a bootcamp-style training programme designed to help entrepreneurs increase revenue, position themselves for investment, and build sustainable businesses for the future. As part of its International Women’s Day celebrations, Google plans to host six women-focused cohorts of the Hustle Academy programme in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa throughout the month of March. Women entrepreneurs in these countries are invited to apply to join these cohorts at g.co/hustleacademy.

Google is celebrating inspiring women in Africa’s technology sector through its #WomeninIT social media series. The series features the stories of six inspiring women who are breaking barriers and making an impact in the fields of technology, business, entrepreneurship, innovation, and start-ups on the continent.

The head of start-up ecosystem: Africa, Folarin Aiayegbusi, said, “We are thrilled to announce the selected start-ups for the inaugural class of our Google for Startups Accelerator Africa: Women Founders Cohort. These women are tackling some of Africa’s most pressing challenges, and we’re excited to support them as they build the future.”

The 15 start-ups selected for the programme are from eight African countries and are creating innovative solutions that improve livelihoods in their communities.

According to Dorothy Ooko, head of communications at Google Africa, “At Google, we are committed to providing women entrepreneurs in Africa with access to funding, mentorship, and networking opportunities. Through our programmes, we aim to bridge the gap and empower women to succeed in their respective fields.”

This initiative is expected to have a significant impact on the African tech ecosystem and empower women entrepreneurs who are often underrepresented in the sector. These women have the potential to create innovative solutions that can drive economic growth and improve livelihoods in their communities.

The selected start-ups for the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa: Women Founders Cohort are Afriwell Health (Congo), Alajo App (Nigeria), eWaka (Kenya), Farmer Lifeline (Kenya), Maxibuy (Nigeria), MosMos (Kenya), Gobeba (Kenya), Hepta Pay (Rwanda), Jem HR (South Africa), Kola Market (Ghana), Mipango (Tanzania), Smart Ikigega (Rwanda), Suitch (Cameroon), Tyms Africa (Nigeria), and Zydii (Kenya).

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