The African tech sector is hyped with the recent launch of Accelerate Africa, a Y Combinator-inspired seed accelerator program co-founded by Iyinoluwa Aboyeji and Mia von Koschitzky-Kimani.
But it’s not just another accelerator; it’s a bold vision to strengthen the continent’s tech talent sector and clear the way for African-born tech giants.
These two figures are no strangers to success. Aboyeji co-founded two African unicorns: Andela, the global talent company connecting Africa’s developers to the world, and Flutterwave, the pan-African fintech leader. Koschitzky-Kimani, alongside Aboyeji, leads Future Africa, a venture capital firm investing in tech businesses across the continent. Their combined expertise, network, and vision are the driving force behind Accelerate Africa.
Accelerate Africa goes beyond the typical model. It focuses on early-stage, pan-African ventures, nurturing high-growth startups across diverse sectors and facilitating a strong community of founders. The ambition is an explosion of successful African tech companies creating jobs, solving African problems, and competing on the global stage, as the founders envision.
The initiative emphasizes diversity and inclusion. Unlike other accelerators, Accelerate Africa strives to empower women founders, encourage participation from francophone countries, and ensure representation from all corners of Africa. The accelerator believes in providing an environment where talent can thrive, not just find jobs abroad, as Andela demonstrated.
Accelerate Africa isn’t a one-size-fits-all program. It offers bespoke support, catering to the specific needs of African founders. This includes workshops across core areas like tech, legal, and finance, along with clinics, office hours, and in-person meetings in Lagos and Nairobi. The program entails a demo day where founders showcase their ventures to the world.
Unlike most accelerators, Accelerate Africa does not take equity or offer funding as part of the program. However, the Future Africa fund may invest $250,000-$500,000 in pre-seed or seed stages after the program based on merit, following their standard investment process. This unique approach focuses on pure mentorship and empowerment, allowing founders to retain full control of their ventures.
Accelerate Africa isn’t an isolated player. It joins an ecosystem with diverse visions like Jumia’s focus on scaling existing models and TLcom Capital’s emphasis on talent development through Andela. Aboyeji and Koschitzky-Kimani, however, see themselves as part of a bigger movement, collaborating with other players to build a thriving African tech ecosystem.
With their proven track record and deep understanding of the African tech sector, Aboyeji and Koschitzky-Kimani are well-prepared to enhance the future of African tech and talent.
Accelerate Africa is a bet on the potential of millions of young Africans to create solutions for their continent and the world. While the success of the ambitious vision remains to be seen, the solid optimism and commitment to building from the ground up are already creating a ripple of transformation across African tech.
