Google for Startups

Google for Startups is an initiative launched in 2011 that focuses on supporting startups globally by providing access to Google's products, connections, and best practices. The program partners with over fifty leading startup organizations to foster entrepreneurial ecosystems in more than 135 countries. It offers various resources, including financial support and exclusive programming, to help these partners and their startups thrive. Central to this initiative are six Google for Startups Campuses located in London, Tel Aviv, Seoul, Madrid, São Paulo, and Warsaw. These Campuses serve as collaborative spaces where startup founders can access mentorship, educational resources, and networking opportunities within their local communities. Startups benefit from free workspaces, community events, and a network of like-minded entrepreneurs, all aimed at nurturing their growth and innovation across diverse sectors such as healthcare, retail, finance, and technology.

Sundar Pichai

CEO, Google

Past deals in East Africa

Garri Logistics

Non Equity Assistance in 2023
Garri Logistics is a digital platform that streamlines cargo transportation in Ethiopia. It connects shippers and importers with approved carriers, offering services such as real-time tracking, frequent updates, and analytics to ensure efficient and reliable freight movement.

EzyAgric

Non Equity Assistance in 2023
EzyAgric is an ag-tech company focused on enhancing agricultural productivity and efficiency in Uganda. It operates a digital platform that serves as a marketplace for agricultural products and services, offering farmers access to genuine agro-inputs and valuable resources. Through the EzyAgric mobile and web app, users can obtain infographic extension advisory content, GPS garden mapping, and farm records management. The platform also facilitates connections to profitable markets and provides financial services. By digitizing the agricultural value chain, EzyAgric empowers farmers and agribusinesses to make informed decisions, optimize resource mobilization, and improve overall crop yield.

Zydii

Non Equity Assistance in 2023
Zydii Limited is an online learning and teaching platform based in Nairobi, Kenya, established in 2016. The company focuses on delivering localized digital training solutions tailored for the African workforce, offering a range of affordable and relevant personal development courses, digital courses, and virtual programs. Zydii's platform is designed to be engaging and accessible, providing users with opportunities to acquire new skills and enhance their career prospects. The company's innovative approach includes both online and offline access through USSD and SMS, ensuring that its educational resources reach a broad audience and contribute to transformative growth for businesses across the region.

Jumba

Non Equity Assistance in 2023
Jumba is a construction technology platform based in Nairobi, Kenya, established in 2022. The company focuses on streamlining B2B construction material purchases and financing, facilitating transactions between manufacturers and retailers. Jumba's platform enables businesses to order a variety of construction materials, including cement, steel, paint, tiles, plumbing supplies, electrical components, glass, and kitchen and bathroom finishes, with the option to pay later. By connecting small hardware stores with medium-sized retailers in their vicinity, Jumba helps enhance inventory management and negotiates pricing to simplify the supply chain for construction materials across Africa.

Charis Unmanned Aerial Solutions

Non Equity Assistance in 2023
CHARISUAS is the first ever unmanned Aerial vehicles leading company in Rwanda. We provide diversified services in UAV industries. These include UAS consulting, UAV building and system integration, pilot and safety training, maintenance of UAVs and much more. Our reputation and professionalism has helped to obtain hard to get exclusive permits to fly in restricted areas.

Zydii

Non Equity Assistance in 2023
Zydii Limited is an online learning and teaching platform based in Nairobi, Kenya, established in 2016. The company focuses on delivering localized digital training solutions tailored for the African workforce, offering a range of affordable and relevant personal development courses, digital courses, and virtual programs. Zydii's platform is designed to be engaging and accessible, providing users with opportunities to acquire new skills and enhance their career prospects. The company's innovative approach includes both online and offline access through USSD and SMS, ensuring that its educational resources reach a broad audience and contribute to transformative growth for businesses across the region.

HeptaPay

Non Equity Assistance in 2023
HeptaPay is a bill payment application focused on the East African region. The company aims to simplify financial transactions by providing an accessible platform for users to manage their bill payments efficiently. In addition to its payment services, HeptaPay develops enterprise software that enhances data analysis for informed decision-making. This platform offers various services, including infrastructure and cloud solutions, big data analytics, and API development, allowing clients to interpret and visualize data effectively. Through its innovative approach, HeptaPay seeks to empower individuals and businesses in East Africa to navigate their financial obligations with ease.

BuuPass

Pre Seed Round in 2023
BuuPass is a digital transport solutions provider based in Kenya, focusing on simplifying the movement of people through innovative booking systems. As the first marketplace in the country for bus, shuttle, and train bookings, BuuPass offers a fast and user-friendly platform that allows commuters to easily reserve their seats and make payments. The company is powered by a team of young entrepreneurs dedicated to addressing everyday transportation challenges and enhancing accessibility. By enabling users to book tickets through both online and SMS-based methods, BuuPass ensures that urban commuters can manage their travel plans conveniently and efficiently. The company emphasizes the importance of time and choice, striving to empower individuals to travel on their own terms while connecting them to various opportunities.

BuuPass

Non Equity Assistance in 2022
BuuPass is a digital transport solutions provider based in Kenya, focusing on simplifying the movement of people through innovative booking systems. As the first marketplace in the country for bus, shuttle, and train bookings, BuuPass offers a fast and user-friendly platform that allows commuters to easily reserve their seats and make payments. The company is powered by a team of young entrepreneurs dedicated to addressing everyday transportation challenges and enhancing accessibility. By enabling users to book tickets through both online and SMS-based methods, BuuPass ensures that urban commuters can manage their travel plans conveniently and efficiently. The company emphasizes the importance of time and choice, striving to empower individuals to travel on their own terms while connecting them to various opportunities.

Bookings Africa

Grant in 2022
Bookings Africa, established in 2018, operates as an online marketplace connecting clients in the entertainment, media, and lifestyle industries with creative professionals across Africa. Its platform facilitates the sourcing, comparison, and booking of creatives such as models, makeup artists, voiceover artists, DJs, and filming locations. With a presence in Lagos, Nigeria; Nairobi, Kenya; and Johannesburg, South Africa, the company aims to reduce unemployment and foster creativity among African youth by providing a secure, digital space for freelancers to monetize their skills and talents.

Eden Life

Non Equity Assistance in 2022
Eden Life Inc., based in Lagos, Nigeria, specializes in tech-enabled housekeeping services for professionals. Through its online platform and mobile application, the company offers a range of services including laundry, meal preparation, house cleaning, equipment maintenance, and meal delivery. By aggregating vendors offering diverse services, Eden Life enables clients to efficiently manage their household chores.

Zuri Health

Non Equity Assistance in 2022
Zuri Health is a telemedicine company based in Nairobi, Kenya, established in 2020. It offers affordable and accessible healthcare solutions through a mobile app, website, and SMS services, catering to patients without smartphones and those in rural areas. Users can schedule lab and diagnostic tests, consult with doctors, purchase medications from pharmacies, and arrange home visits with qualified medical professionals. The platform also features an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot to enhance user experience and provide first-level medical consultations. Zuri Health aims to create a universally accessible healthcare experience for all individuals, regardless of their location or resources.

Garri Logistics

Non Equity Assistance in 2022
Garri Logistics is a digital platform that streamlines cargo transportation in Ethiopia. It connects shippers and importers with approved carriers, offering services such as real-time tracking, frequent updates, and analytics to ensure efficient and reliable freight movement.

BAG Innovation

Non Equity Assistance in 2022
BAG Innovation Ltd operates a digital platform that bridges the gap between academia and the business sector in East Africa. Founded in 2017 and based in Kigali, Rwanda, the company offers gamified internship programs and interactive assessments designed to enhance students' skills and facilitate personalized career guidance from the start of their university studies. By analyzing employers' skill requirements and translating them into assessments, BAG enables companies to efficiently connect with a larger pool of students, allowing them to transfer work-life experiences without the constraints of traditional internship models. The platform employs gamification techniques developed by a former CandyCrush creator to boost student engagement and retention, rewarding users with experience points and level upgrades. BAG operates on a freemium model, attracting a wide user base while generating revenue through premium subscriptions for businesses seeking to source talent and by providing universities with integrated content platforms that support student development.

Exuus

Non Equity Assistance in 2022
Exuus Limited is a financial technology company based in Kigali, Rwanda, focused on developing web-based software services that enhance operational performance and decision-making for organizations. Its primary products include Cartix, a platform designed to optimize strategic investments, and Save, which empowers savings groups by providing a user-friendly ledger system for managing finances. Additionally, Exuus offers digital data collection, mining, and visualization services to support its clients. The company aims to inspire resilience within communities by providing micro-loans and micro-insurance products, thereby facilitating access to credit for unbanked individuals and smallholder farmers. Founded in 2014, Exuus is dedicated to fostering financial inclusion and sustainability within informal social saving groups.

Xente

Non Equity Assistance in 2022
Xente is a company that provides a payment platform aimed at simplifying financial transactions for businesses in Africa. By offering smart Visa cards and facilitating e-commerce and cashless transactions, Xente supports a range of payment needs, including mobile, utilities, travel, events, and entertainment. Its neo-bank platform is designed to enhance the digital transformation in East Africa, where many transactions still occur manually. This enables both customers and businesses to engage in reliable and secure transactions from any mobile device, promoting a more efficient and accessible financial ecosystem.

AC Group

Grant in 2021
AC Group Ltd is a Hi-tech & ICT company registered under the Rwandan registrar of companies. As a “Technology enabler”, they are a leading Solution Provider of Intelligent and Interactive Solutions in Rwanda, expanding to regional markets with an aim of being part of building a regional ICT hub. In December 2015, They launched Tap&Go card for passengers under the “One card one City campaign” on the biggest bus operator in Kigali - Kigali Bus Services (KBS) in partnership with the Government of Rwanda.

Treepz

Non Equity Assistance in 2021
Treepz is a technology-driven transportation company focused on enhancing mobility across Africa. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Ontario, Canada, Treepz operates in Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, and Kenya, providing users with a reliable and comfortable commuting experience. Its application allows users to book trips for daily, inter-city, or corporate travel at the tap of a button. The platform offers features such as vehicle assistants, licensed drivers, and e-wallet payments, ensuring that users can book and pay for fast and convenient trips in real-time. Through its innovative approach, Treepz aims to create a safer and more efficient transportation system for commuters in the region.

Pezesha

Grant in 2021
Pezesha is a digital financial marketplace based in Nairobi, Kenya, that connects small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to various financing options, including working capital, float financing, and LPO financing. Founded in 2016, Pezesha aims to enhance access to affordable credit for micro-businesses by leveraging credit and data analytics to link lenders with low-income borrowers. The platform facilitates a shared economy by converging lending and other financial services, thereby enabling underserved SMBs to participate in the formal financial system. Through its innovative approach, Pezesha seeks to empower businesses and improve their growth potential by providing essential financial resources.

Angaza Elimu

Grant in 2021
Angaza Elimu is an ed-tech company focused on transforming education in Kenya and across Africa by addressing challenges in classroom efficiency and access to educational resources. The organization provides a comprehensive e-Learning platform that simplifies classroom management, allowing teachers to dedicate more time to effective instruction. It features a Student Portal designed to engage learners and foster critical thinking skills. Angaza Elimu also emphasizes skill-based learning to prepare African youth for success in a digital economy. Additionally, the company offers supplemental STEM training to cultivate innovation among young learners and operates an Internet of Things (IoT) school to provide hands-on training in hardware engineering, enabling students to learn both in and out of the classroom at their own pace.

Amitruck

Grant in 2021
Amitruck is a logistics platform based in Nairobi, Kenya, that connects cargo owners with trucking professionals through a mobile and web application. Founded in 2018, the platform allows customers to easily book deliveries and access a network of available trucks. It features a driver application that facilitates communication between clients and transporters, ensuring timely updates on shipments. Amitruck's user-friendly interface enables clients to receive instant quotes and track their deliveries in real-time, offering complete visibility throughout the delivery process.

Finplus Group

Grant in 2021
Finplus Group is a technology company building a new credit & commerce infrastructure for emerging markets. We believe that access to markets & financial services should be a human right, available to everyone, everywhere, who wishes to participate in the modern economy. Our goal is to help close the massive $5.2Tn credit deficit faced by SMEs in developing countries every year. Finplus provides white-label digital finance & vertical ecommerce software to: 1. Enable banks & micro-lenders to lend to SMEs, at scale, across multiple markets 2. Help consumer goods companies to digitise sales end-to-end, effectively turning their supply chain into a demand chain 3. Unlock access to an instant line of credit for tens of millions of SMEs and individuals in emerging markets Finplus software has already processed over $1 Billion in transaction value across 5 emerging markets (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Eswatini, South Africa), enabled more than 3 Million MSMEs & individuals to access credit and saved business customers over 1.2 Million man-hours through automation.

MarketForce

Grant in 2021
MarketForce is a technology company headquartered in the United States, with operations in Kenya and Nigeria, focused on enhancing B2B commerce and fintech solutions for African merchants. Launched in 2018, the company has developed the "RejaReja" platform, which allows merchants to digitally source, order, and pay for inventory. In addition to these services, MarketForce offers access to financing, enables digital payment collection, and allows merchants to resell digital financial services like airtime and utility tokens. Operating in five markets across Sub-Saharan Africa, MarketForce has established a rapidly growing network that includes over 200,000 merchants and 50 consumer brands. The company employs an asset-light business model to drive efficiency and productivity in the distribution of goods, utilizing advanced technology to streamline operations for its users.

Taskmoby

Non Equity Assistance in 2021
Taskmoby is a home services application operating in Ethiopia that connects clients with skilled service providers. Users can request various services, such as plumbing, cleaning, and handyman tasks, through the application or by calling a dedicated customer care number. Once a request is made, service providers in the vicinity receive a notification and can respond to the request promptly. This platform facilitates efficient and convenient access to a range of home services, allowing users to find qualified professionals quickly and easily, thereby ensuring a hassle-free experience.

Kwara

Non Equity Assistance in 2021
Kwara GmbH is a technology company that specializes in developing a digital banking platform tailored for savings and credit co-operative societies (SACCOs). Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Berlin, Germany, with an additional office in Nairobi, Kenya, Kwara aims to modernize credit unions by providing a comprehensive cloud-based solution. The platform facilitates loan application servicing and approval for members, while also offering integration services, customer support, real-time financial tracking, and compliance assistance. Kwara's offerings include Kwara Pronto, a tool for managing loans. Currently, the company serves over 200 SACCOs across Kenya, South Africa, and the Philippines, enabling these financial institutions to enhance their operations and improve access to formal financial services.

PayWay Ethiopia

Non Equity Assistance in 2021
PayWay Ethiopia is an online bill payments platform that offers solutions to streamline payment processes for users. The company develops independent payment software compatible with various platforms, facilitating easy and efficient transactions. By acting as an intermediary between service providers, dealers, and end-users, PayWay Ethiopia enables businesses to process payments conveniently. Additionally, it designs and develops payment applications and devices, ensuring that users have accessible tools for everyday payments. Through its services, PayWay Ethiopia addresses a wide range of payment-related needs, enhancing the overall convenience of financial transactions.

Tabiri Analytics

Non Equity Assistance in 2021
Tabiri Analytics is a cybersecurity firm based in Kigali, Rwanda, founded in 2018. The company specializes in providing local solutions to global security threats by offering cybersecurity monitoring and remediation services. Utilizing machine learning and a global sourcing model from East Africa, Tabiri Analytics employs low-cost hardware sensors and open-source software agents to gather and analyze system logs and network data. Their approach includes cloud-based computing and collaboration with clients to enhance the containment and remediation of identified cyber threats, ultimately helping organizations improve their overall cybersecurity posture.

Angaza Elimu

Non Equity Assistance in 2021
Angaza Elimu is an ed-tech company focused on transforming education in Kenya and across Africa by addressing challenges in classroom efficiency and access to educational resources. The organization provides a comprehensive e-Learning platform that simplifies classroom management, allowing teachers to dedicate more time to effective instruction. It features a Student Portal designed to engage learners and foster critical thinking skills. Angaza Elimu also emphasizes skill-based learning to prepare African youth for success in a digital economy. Additionally, the company offers supplemental STEM training to cultivate innovation among young learners and operates an Internet of Things (IoT) school to provide hands-on training in hardware engineering, enabling students to learn both in and out of the classroom at their own pace.
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