Google targets Kenyan startups with funding, up-skilling programme

Multinational tech firm Google is seeking for startups in the country and the entire African continent for upskilling and funding to enhance their lifespan in the market.

This is through its Google for startups Accelerator Africa program, now in its eighth cohort.

The programme seeks to offer startups with equity-free support of up to $350,000 (Sh46.6 million) in Google cloud credits, and further provide them with personalised guidance from Google AI experts, entrepreneurs and industry leaders.

“We will strongly focus on leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to address critical challenges and unlock new opportunities across the continent,” Google says in a statement.

Startups who will make it to the selection will also benefit from global networking opportunities pointing towards connections to potential investors, partners and customers.

Google noted that among the reasons for coming up with the programme was the need to propel startups’ prospects in emerging economies as they are the lifeblood of innovation, driving economic growth, creating jobs, and solving some of society’s most pressing challenges.

“In Africa, digital transformation is accelerating rapidly and startups play a vital role in shaping the continent’s future from fintech and agritech to healthcare and education.”

According to Folarin Aiyegbusi, head of Startups Ecosystem, Africa at Google, the three months programme which will run from June to September, will provide the firms with resources and mentorship they need to build successful, impactful businesses.

“Tech ecosystem is a hotbed of innovation, and AI has the potential to be a transformative force across various sectors,” Aiyegbusi said.

Startups have been noted to have the potential of accelerating up to 70 per cent of a country’s digital transformation, according to a report by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA).

However, major bottlenecks such as funding and compliance constraints see majority of them close shop in less than a year.

“Close to 80 per cent of startups in Kenya for instance, often die within the first year of operation, while only three to five per cent make it beyond the one year period of survival,” CA says.

It notes that the remaining 15 per cent fall under the unpredictable category, who still have very low chances of survival.

Google reiterates that this programme seeks to fill in the gaps that cause the sudden deaths of startups, helping them stay afloat.

Since its inception in 2018, the program has supported 106 startups from 17 African countries, and have collectively raised over $263 million and created more than 2,800 direct jobs.