Startups to join CMU-Africa's Business Incubation Program

Carnegie Mellon University Africa has partnered with the National Basketball Association Africa (NBA Africa) on a startup accelerator program that aims to support the next wave of early-stage African startup businesses transforming the sports and creative sectors. Ten African startup companies pitched their products to a panel of international industry leaders at an event held today, called Demo Day, at CMU-Africa in Kigali, Rwanda. 

"We are proud to partner with NBA Africa on this important initiative to accelerate startups on the continent," said Conrad Tucker, director of CMU-Africa. "Demo Day was filled with excitement, creativity, and innovation. Congratulations to all of the finalists. We look forward to welcoming the winning startups into our Innovation Hub."

NBA Africa recently announced the winners in a press release – Reborn (Morocco), Fitclan (Egypt), Athlon Technology (Egypt), Atsur (Nigeria), and Songdis (Nigeria). The five finalists will receive financial support and the opportunity to join CMU-Africa's 12-month Business Incubation Program in their Innovation Hub, which helps African tech startups transform proof-of-concept prototypes and preliminary market assessments into scalable, market-ready products and services.

"We continue to be amazed by the creative, talented and passionate entrepreneurs who participate in NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator," said NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi. "The 10 finalists and five prize-winning companies differentiated themselves through their bold and innovative solutions that are shaping the future of sport and entertainment in Africa. The support they receive from this program will help them scale their products and make a lasting impact on the continent and globally."

The Demo Day was supported by CMU-Africa, ServiceNow and OpenAI.

Read the full press release from NBA Africa