NBA Africa (www.NBA.com) today announced the 10 startup companies from five African countries that have been selected as finalists as part of the second edition of NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator (https://apo-opa.co/48kJsem), which the league launched last year to support the continent’s technology ecosystem and the next generation of African entrepreneurs. The 10 finalists will pitch their products to a panel of international industry leaders at a Demo Day at Carnegie Mellon University Africa (CMU-Africa) in Kigali, Rwanda, on Friday, Dec. 5.
NBA Africa also announced that CMU-Africa has joined as an Official Partner of the program, which is open to early-stage African startup companies that develop solutions in the sport and creative industries. CMU-Africa is the only U.S. research university offering its master’s degrees with a full-time faculty, staff and operations in Africa.
ServiceNow – an AI platform for business transformation whose Now Assist and AI agents help organizations deliver faster and smarter experiences at scale – also serves as an Official Partner of NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator, while ALX Ventures – a leading technology incubator that provides the continent’s tech leaders with access to the skills and tools to launch and scale their startups – is once again operating the program.
The 10 startups, which were selected from more than 700 applications, will pitch their products to a panel of international industry leaders who will choose five winners to receive financial support and the opportunity to join CMU-Africa’s 12-month Business Incubation Program as part of its Innovation Hub, which helps African tech startups transform proof-of-concept prototypes and preliminary market assessments into scalable, market-ready products and services.
Below are the 10 startups that will compete for the five prize-winning spots:
- Athlon Technology (Egypt) (https://AthlonTechnology.com/) aims to leverage accessible mobile technology and AI to provide video analysis for amateur and budget-constrained sports teams while addressing a market gap with a user-friendly, hardware-light solution.
- Atsur (Nigeria) (https://apo-opa.co/4pxsTCH) leverages blockchain technology to promote investment in African art and support artists and art communities.
- CoLab (South Africa) (https://apo-opa.co/3XiPvek) is a platform that brings together creatives, entrepreneurs and industry professionals, providing a space to connect, manage projects and bring ideas to life.
- Contestify (Nigeria) (www.Contestify.io) is an all-in-one platform that streamlines contest management, offering real-time judging, transparent scoring and instant payouts.
- Fitclan (Egypt) (https://Fitclan.co/) is a digital fitness hub that leverages a flexible subscription model for individuals and corporate clients.
- Novate (Morocco) (www.Novate.ltd/en) offers a unique, immersive virtual reality (VR) football viewing experience with features such as seat selection, camera switching, social voice chat and live stats.
- ProPath Sports (Kenya) (www.ProPathSports.com) revolutionizes athlete discovery in Kenya with data-driven talent identification; its iSTEAM program covers all aspects of talent development.
- Reborn (Morocco) (https://RebornSportsTech.com/) offers comprehensive performance indicators that give athletes deep insights into their physical condition and on-field performance, essential for identifying strengths, areas for improvement, and optimizing overall performance.
- Safia Health (Kenya) (https://SafiaHealth.com/) offers personalized training regiments that integrate fitness, recovery and mental wellbeing tracking into a unified platform, offering value to athletes and coaches.
- SongDis (Nigeria) (www.SongDis.com) provides comprehensive digital distribution and services tailored for African independent artists and labels.
“The quality of this year’s applications reflects the incredible talent and creativity among Africa’s young entrepreneurs as well as the important role that the sport and creative industries are playing in the continent’s development,” said NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi. “These startups represent the bold spirit of innovation rising across the continent – where creativity meets purpose, and ideas have the power to scale beyond borders.”
Last year, four prize-winning companies – Festival Coins (Nigeria), Salubata (Nigeria), HustleSasa (Kenya) and UBR VR (Egypt) – were awarded financial support and mentorship as part of the inaugural edition of the program.
