Nigerian startup, mDoc, and Kenyan startups, Flare and Solar Freeze have been selected by Google for Startups to participate in its inaugural cohort of the accelerator programme on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In November, last year, Google announced the programme which is geared towards startups who are leveraging technology to make progress towards the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
1,200 applications were received from 73 countries. And 11 startups from France, Germany, Israel, Kenya, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, and the UK were selected to take part in the five-month-long accelerator programme which starts on April 2021.
Here are the African startups selected:
mDoc (Nigeria)
mDoc is a digital health social enterprise which leverages data, quality improvement and behavioural science to support people living with chronic health needs and diseases.
Flare (Kenya)
The startup offers software infrastructure like real-time tracking, reporting, resource management and operational support for emergency response services.
Solar Freeze (Kenya)
Solar Freeze is pioneering mobile cold storage units powered by renewable energy for smallholder farmers, to help them reduce post-harvest loss in the developing world.
The other eight startups to make the cohort include Israeli startup, Oko; French startup, Everimpact; UK startups, Cervest.earth and Ellipsis.earth; Pakistani startup, Wondertree; German startups, Apic.ai and Ororatech; and Dutch startup, Skilllab.
Quite different from the Launchpad programme featuring growth startups, the Google for Startups Accelerator on SDGs will address challenges founders face when building social impact startups in terms of product and engineering expertise, business development, and access to funding.
Source: Techpoint