Facebook’s FbStart Accelerator Selects 5 Startups & 10 Students for its 2018 Cohorts

FbStart Accelerator is ready to kick off operations in earnest. The Facebook-backed accelerator announced 15 cohorts for the 2018 program which lasts six months.

FbStart Accelerator is part of the NG_HUB. The hub was launched in May and is a partnership between the social media giant, Facebook and Nigeria’s CcHub. Reputed with the “crazy ideas are allowed” slogan, the new hub fosters the innovative use of technology to solve everyday problems. And its support programs are largely geared towards this.

We are proud to announce the 15 teams that will proceed into the 6-month research and mentorship-driven program. #FBStartAccelerator #CcHUB pic.twitter.com/pTVokcZ2r5

— Co-Creation Hub (@Cc_HUB) August 31, 2018

The hub supports and funds innovations that cut in a number of interesting fields. And some of which include artificial intelligence, data science, Internet of Things, Augmented Reality (AR), and Virtual Reality (VR).

Additionally, cohorts selected for the program get equity-free funding of up to $20,000. Participants also get technical and business support from Facebook.

However, unlike many startup accelerators, FbStart Accelerator is open to both startups and students. And this diversity is captured grossly in the 2018 cohorts.

To further deepen @facebook 's commitment to support innovators building solutions with advanced technologies in the local tech ecosystem, Facebook in partnership with #CcHUB, this week, kicked off the #FBStartAccelerator Bootcamp. pic.twitter.com/MR8ujDmBjS

— Co-Creation Hub (@Cc_HUB) August 31, 2018

Out of the 15 cohorts for the maiden program, only 5 are startups. The remaining 10 cohorts are either undergraduates and postgraduate students.

This is not shocking as FbStart runs its program in two ways: onsite and offsite. FbStart Onsite accommodates startup teams at its physical location the NG_HUB in Yaba.

While the Offsite program accommodates student participants, it allows them to work out of the accelerators of seven other partner hubs. These are Ventures Platform (Abuja), nHub (Jos), Colab Hub (Kaduna), and DI Hub (Kano) in the north. Meanwhile, in the South are Start Innovation Hub (Uyo), Roar Hub (Enugu), and Ken Saro Wiwa Hub (Port Harcourt).

List of FbStart Accelerator Cohorts

Here’s a full list of participants and their innovations.

Finally, over the next 6 months, Kanji, Vetsark and Cycles alongside the rest of the team will be working on solutions using #VirtualReality, #DataScience, #IOT and other advanced technologies.

Congratulations to all the teams!#FBStartAccelerator #CcHUB pic.twitter.com/ZD1fyUzYBu

— Co-Creation Hub (@Cc_HUB) August 31, 2018

• RoadPreppers (Startup): Lara.ng is a chatbot for public transit directions in Nigeria and other developing countries.
• Quadron Studios (Startup): Quadron Studios developed a Virtual Reality safety training solution that prepares enterprise workers for emergency situations.
• Gricd Agroservices: GRICD is an affordable and efficient IoT-powered storage device that helps to extend the shelf life of tomatoes.
• Vetsark (Startup): Vetsark is a web-based platform that uses disease report data to predict, prevent and manage disease outbreaks. Its results are important to livestock farmers, veterinarians, and public health workers.
• AI Commons (Startup): AI Commons developed DeepStack, a suite of Dockerized Artificial Intelligence server software. It enables developers to easily build, deploy and manage AI-powered applications on their private servers and edge IoT gateways.
• Project Move (Student): Project Move is a VR accessory which significantly improves interaction in mobile-driven VR systems.
• Up NEPA (Student): Up NEPA is an IoT-powered analytic platform that monitors, records and predicts electricity supply
• Treplabs (Student): Treplabs developed REALDRIP to prevent backflow of blood during drip treatment. It monitors flow rate, volume administered and automates the process.
• Team Kanji (Student): Kanji Drive is an immersive driving simulator based in Lagos. It teaches users how to drive and be road aware using a GT racing rig set up.
• Cycles (Student): It is a bike-sharing service for short and medium commutes within Nigerian communities.
• Insyt (Student): It is a sentiment analysis software. It provides businesses with a means to improve customer satisfaction via opinion mining in local languages.
• SayPeace (Student): Saypeace is an AI-powered tool for monitoring hate speech on social media in real-time. It helps to predict the possible occurrence of violence using data it gathers.
• Chiniki Guard (Student): It is a monitoring, analysis, and reporting software for security cameras. Chiniki uses AI to estimate human poses and detect suspicions like shoplifting and theft in retail stores.
• Plant Doctor (Student): It is an application that uses AI to diagnose plant diseases. It also suggests solutions to farmers and Agric extension workers.
• Smart Electricity (Student):  It researches the use of wireless electricity to power appliances in homes and offices.