About

Accelerate Africa is a pre-seed and seed-stage accelerator program dedicated to empowering Africa's bold and visionary founders. The program focuses on supporting entrepreneurs in the earliest stages of building global businesses that address the continent's most pressing challenges. Founded by Iyinoluwa Aboyeji and Mia von Koschitzky-Kimani, who have a proven track record of building, funding, and advising successful African startups, Accelerate Africa leverages hands-on operating experience to accelerate business growth. The program emphasizes five critical areas: storytelling, talent acquisition, business development, product development, and fundraising. Startups operating within Africa, with a significant presence in over 10 African countries.? Founder Diversity: Emphasis on diverse backgrounds, abilities, languages, genders, ages, and ethnicities, with 40% of supported founders being women, ranging in age from their 20s to 60s. Accelerate Africa runs multiple cohorts per year, each lasting 8 weeks and supporting up to 10 startups. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with specific deadlines announced for each cohort. Entrepreneurs seeking support are encouraged to apply when they are ready to engage in venture creation and scaling.

Eligibility

• Stage of Development: Startups should be at the pre-seed or seed stage, with a scalable business model and a clear path to revenue generation.
• Innovation and Impact: Companies must offer innovative solutions that address significant challenges within their markets, demonstrating potential for substantial impact.
• Team Composition: A strong, dedicated, and diverse founding team with the necessary skills and experience to execute the business plan effectively.
• Market Potential: A clear understanding of the target market, including size, growth potential, and competitive landscape.