Startups from Ghana and Nigeria have been chosen to take part in the Berlin-based F-LANE accelerator, which supports and funds high-potential digital impact ventures focusing on female empowerment.
Run by the Vodafone Institute for Society and Communications, the seven-week F-LANE acceleration programme aims to sharpen business and impact models, and get startups ready for investment.
Each selected team receives a stipend of EUR12,000 (US$13,400) to cover living, travel and venture expenses, while the Vodafone Institute introduces them to personal mentors as well as potential business partners and investors.
Five startups have been selected to take part in the latest programme. They include Ghanaian company Developers in Vogue, which runs female-focused coding bootcamps and reaches participants through an AI-based platform, and Nigeria’s Rubi Health, which offers psychotherapeutic care via video chat in rural hospitals.
The other startups selected to take part include Indian maternal health platform Together for Her, UK-based city safety platform Safe & the City, and German diagnostics app Boost Thyroid. The programme begins in October and concludes with a demo day in November, where the five finalists will pitch in front of investors and decision-makers from business, media and politics.
African tech startups to have taken part in the programme in the past include Uganda’s BreastIT, Mozambique’s Mowoza and Uganda’s Kaaro Health.
