Four Nigerian Startups to Participate in Class 2 of the Google Launchpad Accelerator Africa Program

Four Nigerian startups have just been selected to participate, alongside 11 other finalists, in the second class of the Google Launchpad Accelerator program. They include Thank U Cash, Medsaf, FormPlus and AppZone.

Still in its first year, Google Launchpad Accelerator program in Africa supports top seed startups on the continent. The program was first announced when Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, visited Lagos in 2017.

The launchpad accelerator has a target to provide over $3 million in equity-free support to more than 60 African tech startups within the next three years.

Participants in the program get three months mentorship and support from Google, alongside Google Cloud and Firebase credits. They also get three weeks all-expense-paid training at Launchpad Accelerator Africa in Lagos and Johannesburg. The finalists will also enjoy technological assistance from Google and the company’s external network.

Class 2! We are so excited to meet our new startups! #launchpadforafrica class 2 has started! Eleven new startups are on the Launchpad Accelerator Africa journey! pic.twitter.com/YSUT4bZFHH

— Google in Africa (@googleafrica) August 27, 2018

The application for the second class opened in June 2018, following the completion of the first class. Six Nigerian startups also participated in the first class. They include PiggyBank, Babymigo, Kudi, Okadabooks, Thrive Agric, and Riby Finance.

Interestingly, over 250 applicants applied for the second class of the Google Launchpad program. But after narrowing that list, Google announced the names of 11 finalists chosen for this round.

Congrats to the 11 #AfricanStartups in the second cohort of @Google‘s #launchpadforafrica program: @appzonegrp, @TeamChalkboard, @Cloud9xp, @akorion256, @FormPlusApp, @MedsafCom, @MintricsApp, @PayGo_Energy, @Pineapple_SA, @preeva_sa, and @ThankUCash!

— Lexi Novitske (@anovitske) August 27, 2018

Here’s the full list of participants from Google

AppZone (Nigeria): AppZone builds Software as a service (SaaS) FinTech software ecosystems for digital banks, allowing them to reduce operational costs while improving service delivery.

Chalkboard Education (Ghana): Allows educational institutions to make their curricula available via mobile devices (USSD, SMS, and internet). It also allows institutes gather insights about students’ learning patterns. With this institutes can develop and adapt curricula for the mobile space.

Cloud9xp (Kenya): Cloud9xp is an online marketplace and booking service that allows people to buy and sell experiences in various locations across Africa and the Middle East.

EzyAgric (Uganda): EzyAgric is an on-demand platform that provides inclusive and data-driven access to finance, production and marketing services for farmers and agribusinesses in Uganda. It does via youth agents equipped with smartphones and other technologies. Thus providing employment and helping farmers improve yields and market access in one go.

Formplus (Nigeria): Formplus allows companies to collect online and offline data through the use of customizable digital forms. The startup also provides analytics based on form answers and allows for payment collection via PayPal, Stripe, and Flutterwave

Medsaf (Nigeria): Medsaf is a one-stop, curated medication marketplace for African hospitals and pharmacies.

Mintrics (Egypt): This social video intelligence platform helps brands and agencies understand how people are interacting with their social videos, giving them insight into what is and isn’t working and thereby maximizing their ROI.

PayGo Energy (Kenya): PayGo’s smart meter and connected software service allow players in the LP gas (LPG) value chain to better serve their customers, driving the adoption of clean cooking fuels.

Pineapple (South Africa): Pineapple’s unique machine learning technology allows users to easily insure individual items using just a mobile app.

Preeva (South Africa): Preeva is an online platform that connects students with young educators who provide tutoring help at school and university.

Thank U Cash (Nigeria): Thank U Cash is an online rewards platform that allows consumers to save and earn loyalty points that can be swapped for cash and merchants to benefit from extra spend. The startup recently got its funded by VC firm, Microtraction.