Google on Monday announced the opening of applications for the eighth cohort of its Google for Startups Accelerator Africa programme.

Folarin Aiyegbusi, Head of Startup’s Ecosystem, Africa at Google made this announcement in a statement made available to newsmen.

Aiyegbusi said that since the programme’s inception in 2018, it had supported 106 startups from 17 African countries and had collectively raised over $263 million and created more than 2,800 direct jobs.

“Google for Startups Accelerator Africa is a three-month, equity-free virtual programme that provides African startups with mentorship, technical resources, and access to a global network of experts and investors.

“The class eight programme will run from June to September 2024 and will include equity-free support up to $350,000 in Google Cloud credits.

“It will also include mentorship, personalised guidance from Google Artificial Intelligence (AI) experts, seasoned entrepreneurs, and industry leaders,” he said.

Aiyegbusi explained that this cohort would have a strong focus on startups leveraging AI and Machine Learning (ML).

He said that the focus of leveraging AI and ML was to address critical challenges and unlock new opportunities across the continent.

He said there would be technical workshops, in-depth training on AI/ML development, product strategy, and scaling, global network, connections to potential investors, partners and customers.

The head of Startups at Google said that applications would be opened from April 29 to May 20 and could be submitted online at g.co/AcceleratorAfrica.

He said that eligible startups must be based in Africa or building Africa-centric solutions and should be utilising AI/ML in a transformative way.

Aiyegbusi added that Google was excited to support the next generation of African AI pioneers through the Google for Startups Accelerator.

“We will be providing startups with the resources and mentorship needed to build successful, impactful businesses.

“Africa’s tech ecosystem is a hotbed of innovation, and AI has the potential to be a transformative force across various sectors.

“Startups are the lifeblood of innovation, driving economic growth, creating jobs, and solving some of society’s most pressing challenges.

“In Africa, digital transformation is accelerating rapidly and startups play a vital role in shaping the continent’s future from fintech and agritech to healthcare and education,” he said. (NAN)

Update news