Nine Kenyan startups have received backing from the Safaricom Spark Accelerator Program, after pitching at an investor demo day organized by the accelerator to help them showcase their milestones and connect with prospective investors.
The start-ups who include Health X Africa, Vunapay, BlackRhino VR, Twiva, Chpter, Churpy, Nobuk Africa, Faidi HR and Chumz represent the future of Embedded Finance, SME Productivity Tools, Digital Content, Healthcare, and Future Fintech.
“At Safaricom, we believe technology is a catalyst for change and solutions, and that’s why we incentivize and support innovative start-ups with the tools they need to reach the next level. With the Spark accelerator program, we are investing in our future leaders while contributing to significant societal change and economic growth,” said Safaricom CEO, Dr Peter Ndegwa.
The nine startups were part of the inaugural cohort of the accelerator program to enable them raise funding from leading venture capital funds
The Safaricom Spark Accelerator program is a partnership with Sumitomo Corporation and M-PESA Africa that aims at accelerating early stage startups to grow and scale their businesses. Other partners include iHub who are the implementing partner and AWS, Vodacom and PwC as supporting partners.
Safaricom, Sumitomo Corporation and M-PESA Africa also announced calls for application for early-stage startups in technology, fintech, creative economy and those scaling SME productivity tools to join the second cohort will open on April 1st 2025 to 15th May 2025.
This will offer an opportunity for more start-ups to benefit from capacity building and training, bespoke product development and technology support, access to market opportunities and access to capital.
The Spark Accelerator program was launched last year following the restructuring of Safaricom’s Spark Venture Fund. The program is committed to fostering transformative growth within Kenya’s tech ecosystem by supporting early-stage start-ups.