On September 25, 2024, two start-ups from Nigeria were among the four winners of the inaugural NBA Africa Startup Accelerator Demo Day. Festival Coins (Nigeria), Salubata (Nigeria), HustleSasa (Kenya), and UBR VR (Egypt) are the four winning companies of the event, which NBA Africa started in April 2024 to promote the continent’s technological sector and the next generation of African entrepreneurs.
The four prize-winning enterprises were unveiled by NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum. Of the ten finalists chosen earlier, four Nigerian start-ups made the list.The NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator winners will receive mentoring and financial support in addition to the chance to take part in training sessions and other initiatives run by NBA Africa or its partners.
More than 700 African early-stage startups applied for the competition, and on Demo Day at the NBA headquarters in New York City, they presented their innovations to a panel of global industry executives. Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, co-founder and CEO of Accelerate Africa; Franciscus Diaba, NBA Assistant General Counsel, Technology, Software Licensing and Digital Platforms; Crystal Rugege, Managing Director, Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Rwanda; Dan Rosensweig, Executive Chairman of Chegg Inc.; and Joanne Yoo, Partner at Development Partners International, are among the judges.
Ultimately, the $50,000 first-place prize went to Festival Coins, a Nigerian event technology business that provides Tix Africa, a customisable, no-code event registration and ticketing platform for events in Ghana and Nigeria. In second place is another Nigerian start-up, Salubata, which manufactures modular shoes reused from plastic trash to lower the global carbon footprint with its environmentally-friendly products. The business took second place and received $40,000.
HustleSasa from Kenya won third place and $30,000 for its live event services, which include payment processing, attendee check-in, merchandise sales, customer data management, influencer tracking, and more. UBR VR from Egypt, on the other hand, took fourth place and $20,000 for its cutting-edge, fully immersive in-person virtual reality (VR) experiences.
Each of the other six finalists—Nigeria’s Buzza and Naemo Global, Rwanda’s Backrest, Côte d’Ivoire’s Gara, Ghana’s Power to Girls Foundation, and South Africa’s Vambo Technologies—got a $10,000 award. Nigerian University of Technology and Management (NUTM), Kuramo Capital Management, and Paystack Payment Ltd. were the three official partners supporting the Demo Day.
“Congratulations to all of the incredibly talented entrepreneurs who participated in this year’s program, with special recognition to the 10 finalists and four distinguished winners,” stated NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi. These remarkable businesses will aid Africa in reclaiming its due position on the global sports arena by showcasing their ingenuity, tenacity, and resolve. We’re excited to follow their accomplishments for a very long time.
“It’s evident that the continent is hungry for an accelerator that is focused on finding solutions to African problems by startups within the Africa tech ecosystem with the goal that they can play a role in shaping the future of Africa’s creative and sports industry,” stated Gbemisola Abudu, Vice President of NBA Africa and Country Head of NBA Nigeria, in her remarks.
Early-stage African entrepreneurs providing solutions in fields like event management and ticketing, youth development, artificial intelligence, and digital marketing are eligible to apply for the NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator.
