Three Nigerian startups have been selected for the Techstars NYC accelerator programme, receiving US$20,000 in equity funding and access to other support services.
The Techstars NYC Accelerator received applications from over 48 countries, and ultimately selected a group of global founders that hail from Nigeria, Israel, France, Cameroon, Canada and cities in the US including Dallas, New York, Washington D.C., Las Vegas, and Princeton.
The three Nigerian startups are Torche, which enables customers in Africa to make payments and other transactions with their fingerprint through biometric POS terminals; Vesti, a neobank that provides financial services, information and community for the 272 million international migrants who do not have access to banking; and Voyance, a no code data infrastructure platform that makes data teams more productive by automating complex data processes.
All of the selected startups each receive US$20,000 in equity funding in return for a six per cent stake, as well as access to learning opportunities, networking, and coaching.
“We are thrilled to be a part of the prestigious Techstars New York Programme’s 2022 cohort. Joining the programme will support us on our journey to build the future of migrant banking by fine-tuning Vesti’s product-market fit and connecting with mentors and investors as we prepare for our seed round,” said Olusola Amusan, co-founder of Vesti.
“We had a very competitive application pool and selecting these 12 companies was extremely difficult. The companies joining us in this year’s class are helping solve many issues – from tools enabling financial wellness, to technology fostering better health outcomes and solutions to make supply chains more efficient and green. These companies will help guide us through life post-pandemic,” said KJ Singh, managing director of the Techstars NYC Accelerator.
