Africa
A three-month hybrid accelerator program for Seed to Series A Black-led technology startups. The accelerator program is designed to bring the best of Google’s programs, products, people and technology to Black founder communities across South Africa.
About the program
About the program
This cohort of the Google for Startups Accelerator: Africa is specifically designed to support Black founders in South Africa.
The startups are paired with relevant Google and industry experts to solve their startup’s top challenges, and are provided with non-dilutive funding, insights and best practices to improve their product and business.
Key benefits
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Equity-free support
Equity-free support: For duration of program.
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Mentoring
Dedicated mentoring from Google teams.
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Training
Exclusive invitations to technical bootcamps hosted by Google, where qualified.
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Access to experts
Access to Google's network of industry experts.
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Google product credits
Eligible startups receive product credits.
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Early access
Access to new Google products and tools as relevant.
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Strategic support
Support on company and product strategy.
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Technical project partnership
Work hand in hand with experts from Google on your biggest tech challenges.
Entry Criteria
Entry Criteria
- Startups demonstrating traction, ideally between Seed and Series A stage
- Building a scalable product or service with a significant total addressable market and defensible growth model
- Deeply technical, preferably leveraging technologies like machine learning and AI
- Commitment from CTO and/or technical roles to participate and engage in required program sessions
- We are committed to building accelerator classes that are diverse and inclusive, and encourage applications from qualified startups with founders of all backgrounds
- This program is open to Black-led technology startups within South Africa
Key Dates
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September 27, 2024
Applications Open
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October 14, 2024
Applications Close
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November, 2024
Program Kick-off
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January, 2024
Graduation
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January, 2024
Demo Day
Accelerator Alumni
Frequently asked questions
The Google for Startups Accelerator: Africa will kick off in November 2024 and run until January 2025. The first cohort will consist of 15 top Black-led South African startups.
The hybrid accelerator runs for a period of three months, with digital workshops, programming, and mentorship. As part of the Google for Startups Accelerator, selected founders outline the top technical challenges facing their startup, and are then paired with relevant experts from Google's network of Experts to help solve those challenges. Participating startups receive deep mentorship on technical challenges with an emphasis on data and machine learning, as well as connections to relevant teams from across Google. The program will consist of in-person bootcamps and virtual workshops and mentorship.
This program is open to Black-led technology startups within South Africa. The accelerator program is best suited for Seed to Series A revenue generating tech startups that are headquartered in South Africa. The founder and appropriate team members must be available to join all program elements of their cohort. In order to ensure Google can provide meaningful value, startups should aim to leverage AI/ML technology in their product, service or operations and/or show an interest in leveraging this technology in the future.
The Google for Startups Accelerator: Africa is completely free for all participating startups, and Google does not take any equity.
Selected startups are given:
- Access to Google engineers, technical project partnership, Google product support and advice, custom mentorship
- Inclusion in the Google for Startups Accelerator Global Community and network of alumni
- Google Cloud Credits
- Marketing spotlight opportunities
- Non-dilutive funding
Startups must meet specific criteria to be eligible for Google product credit offerings. To learn more about the Google Cloud credit eligibility requirements, please visit the Google Cloud startup page.