Africa’s leading Telecommunications Company, Telecel Group has held its African Start-up Initiative Program (ASIP) pitching event for Ghanaian tech start-ups in Accra.
The Africa Start-up Initiative (ASIP) powered by Startupbootcamp AfriTech in Ghana aims at scouting for prospective start-ups for enrolment in the program after holding similar events in Abidjan, Lagos, Kampala, Addis Ababa, and Nairobi.
Speaking at the event, Eleanor Azar, Telecel Executive Deputy and ASIP Director, stated that the Africa Start-up Initiative (ASIP) was founded in 2018 by Telecel Group CEO Damush, and it was shortly after launched during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in the presence of African ICT ministers, United Nations representatives, investors, and entrepreneurs in the IT and telecommunication fields.
According to her, ASIP has sponsored and invested in an array of startups from all over the African continent.
“We came into contact with Startupbootcamp during the AfricanCom event in November 2019 and it became apparent to us that there are a lot of synergies in what we both want and do, and it was clear that working together was going to achieve a lot more than for each of us to be working alone and thus the journey with Startupbootcamp started and we are very pleased so far with the outcome,” She explained.
This she said, at ASIP they recruit top innovative startups in Africa and offer them the needed support and guidance.
In this regard, we are consistently selecting which startups are the best. These are the businesses of the future that will build and guide the African continent’s economies.
These are the people who can overcome the challenges they confront on a daily basis. All we need to do is assist and nurture them so they may grow into the top business in the future since they are the best at understanding the context and needs in which they live.
Stressing that, aims to support the next generation of the early -stage African tech startups disrupting key industry verticals that include Fintech, InsureTech, AgriTech, eCommerce, Digital Health, and CleanTech.
According to her, Telecel will provide the participating startups with access to markets through their mobile services across the continent.
With the support of leading pan-African tech accelerator, Startupbootcamp AfriTech, the program has since 2021 empowered 21 businesses with a combined valuation of over USD 80 million.
This she said, Telecel Brand is deeply rooted in African Continent and culture; adding that it is the very first brand to bring telecom services to Africa, and this is why there is an affinity between the brand and the African people.
The Director of the Accelerator Program Henry Ojuor said the application for Cohort 3 of the ASIP Accelerator program will be launched in February 2023, as opened in August this year.
The Ghana FastTrack held today coincided with Ghana Digital Innovative Week. “We usually encourage start-ups to attend the country FastTrack events to enable them to get real-time feedback from our panel of experts.
From our experience, about 20 percent of start-ups that attend the events usually make it to the final round.
It is a fantastic opportunity to network with our investment team and get more information about the program,” he stated.
The Managing Director of the Ghana Digital (GDCL) Centre Kwadwo Baah Agyemang said the Centre is excited to host the FastTrack event since it comes at a time when GDCL is intensifying collaboration with key stakeholders to identify and create opportunities that accelerate the growth of digital start-ups in line with its objectives of fostering innovation and entrepreneurship.
That is through the provision of platforms for business incubation, business acceleration, digital research, and development programs.
