Google hosted its first Startup Week in Lagos, which saw Google Launchpad Accelerator Africa graduates from across Africa pitch for funding from some of Africa and the UK’s top venture capitalists.
Africa on the rise
Marta Krupinska, head of Google for Startups UK, explained that the search engine giant put its weight behind “supporting the continent’s startups as they continue to build great products tackling key global social issues.” She added:
“This is an incredibly exciting space which is very relevant to UK ecosystem and investors”.
Google for Startups is in partnership with Launchpad Accelerator Africa with the goal to connect high potential early-stage startups with dedicated support from Google.
“We believe Africans can solve Africa’s problems. In running Launchpad Accelerator Africa we specifically look to work with startups with that share this vision. Launchpad Class 4 is tackling some of Africa’s most pressing challenges, including access to financial services, education, and agriculture.”
Programme’s Head of Startup Success and Services, Fola Olatunji-David
What is Launchpad Accelerator Africa
Launchpad Accelerator Africa was first announced in 2019. Since then the programme has partnered with nearly 50 startups and have raised millions of dollars in investments to create over 300 jobs.
According to Google, the selected startups receive working space, as well as access to expert advisers from Google, Silicon Valley, and Africa. Travel and PR support is included during the programme.
Proudly representing South Africa during the Google Startup Week in Lagos, are BrandBook and Sortd.
Proudly South African
Who are BrandBook
BrandBook is a mobile app that incentivises users to take a picture of their receipts, allowing it to harvest consumer purchase behaviour across all channels.
Consumers can earn R5 worth of points for every receipt they upload, regardless of what they buy, or where it was bought. The app is available on both the Apple Store and Google Play.
It is as simple as taking a picture of your receipt and scanning it into the app. Points will reflect as soon as 24 hours after being uploaded, which can then be converted into digital gift cards.
Who are Sortd
Sortd for GMail is the world’s “first all-in-one workspace, built entirely on email”. With Sortd, you are able to manage all your tasks, correspondence and teamwork right from your inbox.
“Sortd transforms your Gmail Inbox into a dynamic workspace that boosts your productivity and simplifies your life”.
Graduation day
Other Class 4 startups graduating at Google Start Up include:
Afara Partners from Nigeria: Afara Partners offers platforms that provide services to the financially under-served/excluded.Elewa from Kenya: Elewa is a toolkit for establishing scalable high-quality training programs within existing education- or professional institutions.Eversend from Uganda: Eversend is a multi-currency e-wallet that allows you to exchange, spend and send money at the best possible rates. It also includes insurance, virtual debit cards, and bill payments.OZÉ from Ghana: OZÉ brings African small businesses into the digital era, equipping their owners to make data-driven decisions to improve their performance and access capital. Phenomenal Technologies from Zimbabwe: Phenomenal Technologies offers low-cost field excursions for learners through virtual reality. REACH from Nigeria: REACH recognises, categorises and interprets transaction data from SMS and other sources, making this data available as individual financial and market insights.TradeBuza from Nigeria: The TradeBuza is a cloud-based web and mobile application, which digitises contract farming and trade.Tulaa from Kenya: Tulaa is an online-to-offline marketplace for smallholder farmers in Africa.XEND from Nigeria: XEND allows users to make and receive payments, offline or online.WorkPay from Kenya: WorkPay is a cloud-based employee management and payment solution using the power of mobile and biometrics.