Google invites startups in 13 African countries
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Google has asked tech startups in Nigeria and 12 other African countries to apply for $4 million grant in the second cohort of its Startup Black Founders Fund for Africa (BFFA).
Google said the success of its first cohort made it to increase the grant to $4 million to fund and support 10 more techies.
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BFFA is open to startups that meet the eligibility criteria in Botswana, Cameroun, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
These 13 countries are the prime focus, Google said, but adds that strong applications from other African countries will also be considered.
“The Black Founders Fund Africa demonstrates our commitment to supporting innovation in underserved areas,” a statement issued by Google Head of Startup Ecosystem (Sub-Saharan Africa) Folarin Aiyegbusi explained.
“Black-led tech startups face an unfair venture capital funding environment and that is why we are committed to helping them thrive, grow to be better and ensure the success of communities and economies in our region.
“The fund will provide cash awards and hands-on support to 60 Black-led startups in Africa, which we hope will aid in developing affordable solutions to fundamental challenges affecting those at the base of the socio-economic pyramid in Africa.”
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Eligibility criteria
Selected startups will receive between $50,000 and $100,000 non-dilutive cash awards and up to $200,000 per startup in Google Cloud credits, support in the form of training, and access to a network of mentors to assist in tackling the challenges unique to each startup, Google said, per reporting by The PUNCH.
“The following African businesses are eligible for selection for the BFF:
“early-stage startups with black founders or diverse founding teams,
“startups which are benefiting the black community, operating and headquartered in Africa,
“startups with a diverse founding team with at least one Black founding member;
“those having a legal presence on the continent and building technology solutions for Africa and the global market; and
“those who have the growth potential to raise more funding and create jobs.”
