SLS Vitality, an area startup specializing in recycling lead-cell batteries is among the many high 10 African startup corporations chosen to learn from the inaugural seven month equity-free mentorship program by tech giants Qualcomm Applied sciences, Inc.
SLS Vitality was additionally among the many high 5 finalists for the inaugural Hanga Pitchfest.
The ten chosen startups, in line with organizers, are creating progressive merchandise in clear vitality, agricultural expertise, computing for training, geospatial predictive evaluation, medical applied sciences, and improvements using electrical automobiles.
SLS Vitality joins outstanding startups from throughout the continent together with in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and Ghana.
“They have been chosen from a pool of greater than 550 candidates from 34 African international locations. They have been rigorously chosen by a worldwide jury based mostly on a wide range of {qualifications} together with technical capabilities, enterprise components, and potential for innovation and mental property era.”
Beneficiaries are anticipated to obtain equity-free mentorship in enterprise planning, engineering, mental property safety, and the appliance of superior connectivity, sensing, AI/ML and different processing applied sciences for progressive end-to-end methods options.
This system is the primary of its form in Africa and is designed so as to add to the continued development of the continent’s expertise startup ecosystem, Rwanda inclusive.
Different shortlisted corporations and their expertise options embrace; Ecorich Options engaged in patented natural composting in Kenya, Fixbot, a startup from Nigeria concerned in car diagnostics and inspection by way of OBD dongle, Karaa from Uganda, in e-Bike monitoring, charging, retrofit, and leases, in addition to Maotronics Programs Restricted, an IOT-enabled precision agriculture startup from Nigeria.
Others embrace Microfuse, additionally from Uganda, engaged in inexpensive plugin computer systems for the training sector, Neural Labs Africa Ltd, from Kenya and Senegal, whose improvements deal with deep studying and pc imaginative and prescient for healthcare analysis within the respective international locations.
This system will culminate in a ultimate demo day in December 2023, connecting startups with varied business leaders, enterprise capitalists, buyers, and different accelerators.
“I might wish to applaud and congratulate these 10 startups for his or her progressive options,” mentioned Sudeepto Roy, Vice President, Engineering, Qualcomm Included. “I’m past excited to listen to about their respective downside domains and progressive options,”
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“They’ve utilized their abilities and ingenuity to handle Africa’s present-day wants in areas of dependable entry to wash vitality, precision agriculture to preserve water and different assets, variations of electrical transportation for a lot of last-mile wants, utilizing AI and different improvements for accelerating illness pathology and remedy, and addressing vitality environment friendly, inexpensive computing for the training market,” Roy mentioned.
He identified that over the subsequent few months, they are going to mentor them in areas of enterprise improvement, expertise functions and mental property legislation, including that they’re honored to have the ability to take part within the entrepreneurial journey of the startups and their future influence in Africa.
Elizabeth Migwalla, Vice President and Head of Authorities Affairs (Center East and Africa), Qualcomm Worldwide, Inc., mentioned that the Qualcomm “Make in Africa” will drive the innovation agenda on the continent and create new prospects for up and coming entrepreneurs.
“As a part of our new Africa Innovation Platform, the Qualcomm Make in Africa mentorship program is one in every of many initiatives we’re engaged on in shut collaboration with authorities and business stakeholders in Africa, to assist place African entrepreneurs and researchers to service markets all through the continent and understand their international ambitions,”
“We imagine that startups based mostly in Africa are finest positioned to determine uniquely African issues that may be solved via end-to-end methods options and new enterprise fashions. We congratulate the shortlisted corporations and stay up for a fruitful collaboration for innovation within the coming months,” ” mentioned Migwalla.
