Kenya will once again have a strong presence on the continental innovation stage after NBA Africa unveiled the 10 finalists for its second Triple-Double Startup Accelerator, with two Kenyan companies making the cut.
The finalists, drawn from five African countries, will pitch their ideas at a Demo Day slated for December 5 at Carnegie Mellon University Africa in Kigali, Rwanda.
The program,now in its second year,focuses on elevating early-stage African startups shaping the future of sports and the creative economy. More than 700 applicants threw their hats in the ring, but only 10 made the final cut.
Kenyan Startups Lead the Charge in Sports & Creative Tech Innovation
Nairobi, Kenya – Two Kenyan startups, FieldReady and Safia health, have been named finalists in the NBA Africa Innovation Challenge, showcasing the country’s growing strength in sports and creative technology. The challenge, a collaboration between NBA Africa and carnegie Mellon University Africa (CMU-Africa), aims to identify and support innovative ventures leveraging technology to drive growth in these sectors across the continent.
FieldReady, focused on youth sports advancement, is building a platform designed to connect young athletes with coaches and opportunities, aligning with Kenya’s national push to professionalize youth sports. This addresses a critical need for structured pathways for aspiring athletes in the country.
Safia Health, a Kenyan health-tech startup, is developing a unified platform offering personalized fitness, recovery, and mental wellbeing regimens for athletes. This is particularly meaningful for Kenya,where comprehensive athlete welfare programs have historically been lacking. The platform provides a modern, integrated solution to support athlete health and performance.
NBA africa CEO Clare Akamanzi highlighted the finalists as evidence of a burgeoning wave of African innovation. “The quality of this year’s applications reflects the astounding talent and creativity among Africa’s young entrepreneurs as well as the crucial role that the sport and creative industries are playing in the continent’s development,” she stated. “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.”
The final pool of ten startups includes ventures from Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco, and South Africa, working on diverse applications of technology including virtual reality, blockchain-based art investment, and athlete performance analytics.
Five of the ten finalists will be selected to receive financial support and participate in CMU-Africa’s 12-month Business Incubation Programme.
Kenya has already demonstrated success in the challenge, with HustleSasa being one of four prize-winning companies in the inaugural edition last year. The other winners were Festival coins (Nigeria), Salubata (Nigeria), and UBR VR (egypt). This precedent signals strong Kenyan participation and potential for continued success in the accelerator program.
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* The original text provided.
* https://africa.nba.com/news/nba-africa-innovation-challenge-finalists/ (NBA Africa Official Announcement of Finalists – accessed Nov 25, 2023)