ATF 2024: Google Accelerator Program unveils this year's cohort

The tech giant Google has announced its 2024 cohort of its Google for Startups Accelerator Africa: Black Founders program on the sidelines of the 27th annual Africa Tech Festival (ATF) held in Cape Town this week.

The selected startups will receive up to R1 million (over $50,000) in non-dilutive funding and up to R3.6 million ($200,000) in Google Cloud credits.

This investment focuses on five African startups, each dedicated to making a significant impact in their respective industries.

Folarin Aiyegbusi, Google's head of startup ecosystem for Africa, said that the program is a testament to Google's dedication to nurturing startups in South Africa.

"We are acutely aware of the crucial role that entrepreneurs play in the survival and sustainability of the economy and the contribution these businesses make to social development," he added.  

Aside from the funding and credits the startups will receive, he said Google will also be providing one-on-one training and networking with mentors to address the unique challenges faced by each business.

The selected startups are:

Related:ATF 2024: Liquid SA, Western Cape Government sign $110M connectivity deal

Folarin Aiyegbusi, Google's head of startup ecosystem for Africa. (Source: Google)

Google added that these startups are among a growing number of African businesses which are actively working to address the socio-economic needs of communities.

"It's encouraging to see the positive move toward enabling more startups within the tech ecosystem, all of which will ultimately foster digital transformation and drive inclusion and accessibility for communities across South Africa and the continent at large," Aiyegbusi continued.

Google empowers African startups

Recently, Google has worked towards empowering African startups through its different accelerator programs.

In August 2024, the company shortlisted ten African startups to participate in its eighth cohort of the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa program.

Related:ATF 2024: Regulate AI use cases, not technology – Google's Charles Murito

The selected startups were given the opportunity to participate in a ten-week equity-free accelerator program that supports Series A startups that build Africa-centric solutions based on artificial intelligence (AI). 

The ten African startups were selected after the company opened applications for the program in April 2024.

In August 2023, the company launched a startup accelerator program for Africa, aimed specifically at startups looking to use AI to solve local challenges.

These Google initiatives are in line with the company's pledge of 2021, to invest $1 billion over five years to support Africa's digital transformation through a range of initiatives.