Ten promising African startups have been selected for the Qualcomm Make in Africa 2024 program, an equity-free mentorship initiative aimed at identifying early-stage startups interested in leveraging advanced connectivity and processing technologies such as 5G, Edge-AI/ML, Compute, and IoT to develop innovative end-to-end systems solutions, including hardware.
Now in its second year, the Qualcomm Africa Innovation Platform seeks to support the growth of Africa’s emerging technology ecosystem by offering mentorship, education, and training programs focused on 5G, Edge-AI/ML, Compute, and IoT.
This year, Qualcomm received an overwhelming response, with approximately 250 applications from 30 countries. The selected startups demonstrated exceptional potential in applying advanced connectivity and processing technologies to develop innovative solutions.
The chosen startups will benefit from free mentorship, business coaching, access to engineering consultation for product development, and guidance on intellectual property protection.
The 2024 cohort includes startups such as Aurora Health from Kenya, CropScan from Kenya, Cure Bionics from Tunisia, DevisionX from Egypt, Kalio from Cameroon, Kitovu from Nigeria, NextAI Studios from Kenya, RIM Nextgen from Kenya, Sparcx from South Africa, and Vizmerald from Tunisia.
In a press statement, Alex Rogers, President of QTL & Global Affairs at Qualcomm Incorporated, expressed excitement about the caliber of applicants and affirmed Qualcomm’s commitment to supporting innovation and creating positive impacts in communities.
John Omo, Secretary-General of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), praised Qualcomm for empowering African entrepreneurs and emphasized ATU’s dedication to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship across the continent.
Qualcomm also announced the awardee of the 2023 Wireless Reach Social Impact Fund. Ecorich Solutions Limited, based in Nairobi, Kenya, will receive funding to scale the impact of their smart organic food composter, addressing environmental pollution, improving crop yields, and mitigating waste-related health risks for communities.