SPRING Accelerator announces 19 startups joining the East Africa cohort
SPRING is an accelerator working with growth-oriented businesses on innovations that can transform the lives of poor and vulnerable girls aged 10-19 living across East Africa and South Asia. We work with world-class experts to support these businesses to create innovations with purpose and commercial potential.
In 2015 Spring launched its programme in East Africa, focused on supporting startups improving the lives of Adolescent girls in poverty. In this third cohort Springs has selected startups from five participating countries in the region.
The startups selected have already taken part in an initial Bootcamp focused on prototyping products and services relevant to the girl-focused target of the accelerator; while the next four months will be spent on research and development, including testing with users, as well as further design workshops.
Six startups join the programme from Kenya: Cherehani Kenya – which provides asset financing for sewing machines; Agricultural energy product producer Ecofuels Kenya; clean lighting provider GravityLight; Illuminum Greenhouses – with its solar powered irrigation systems for greenhouses; fintech provider Mode; and mobile money and smart metering for gas company Paygo.
Four startups hail from Tanzania: ICT solutions for schools provider ACTT; healthcare insurance provider Microhealth Initiative; maternal health education Totohealth Tanzania; and Ubongo – with its educational videos for children.
From Rwanda four startups also join the cohort: school information platform Academic Bridge; remote digital healthcare app Babyl; e-commerce platform for women’s healthcare products Kasha; and Resonate, providing public speaking training for women and girls.
Solar power low-income populations provider Barefoot Power and motorcycle taxi network SafeBoda represent Uganda; while primary school learning solution Accelerated, and HelloDoctor – a tech platform for accessing healthcare services – come from Ethiopia.
