Safaricom showcases 9 startups under the Spark Accelerator program

Safaricom, in partnership with M-PESA Africa and Sumitomo Corporation, announced the selection of nine startups for the Spark Accelerator program, which aims to provide ambitious entrepreneurs with a platform to develop and build their businesses.

“Leveraging technology to drive meaningful innovation is a strong guiding principle behind the Spark Accelerator program. By supporting and investing in these technology-enabled start-ups, our goal is to drive significant social change and economic growth. We are thrilled to be working with visionary founders who represent the promise of tomorrow, and we look forward to seeing the impact they will make in their sectors,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom.

The first Spark Accelerator cohort will consist of two startups from the Embedded Finance category; Nobuk, which simplifies financial reporting for African groups and collectives by streamlining payment collection and reconciliation, and Chumz, which uses mobile money, gamification and behavioral psychology to build saving communities.

The four SME Productivity Tools startups include Chpter, which streamlines sales and marketing on social platforms through artificial intelligence automation, Faidi HR, which offers end-to-end cloud HR solutions, Churpy, which automates CFO office tasks, and Twiva, which connects brands to markets through influential social media.

HealthX Africa, a data-driven primary care provider with hybrid digital and physical touchpoints that brings a doctor to every Kenyan, and BlackRhino VR, which will enable creators and brands to tell immersive and interactive stories that appeal to today’s audiences, were shortlisted in the category content. VunaPay, a platform for agricultural cooperatives that facilitates instant payments to small farmers for products supplied to the cooperative, has been shortlisted in the Future Fintech category.

“Leveraging our extensive global business expertise, operational excellence and Safaricom and M-PESA Africa customer base, we are excited to expand digital financial services and contribute to the growth of the Kenyan and African economies, human resource development and more prosperous lives by supporting advanced start-ups and cooperation with them,” said Katsuya Kashiki, general manager of Smart Communication Platform SBU at Sumitomo Corporation.

“In line with our commitment to accelerate innovation for Africa’s prosperity, we are delighted to welcome these startups to the program. Their unique solutions harness the power of transformation and the use of technology to significantly improve the quality of life of millions of Kenyans. We look forward to supporting startups in optimizing their offerings, scaling their solutions and increasing their impact,” said Nissi Madu, Managing Partner at iHUB/CcHUB.