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.

Matthew Brittin

President, EMEA

Sundar Pichai

CEO, Google

Past deals in Kenya

Jumba

Non Equity Assistance in 2023
Jumba is a construction technology platform based in Nairobi, Kenya, established in 2022. The company focuses on optimizing B2B construction material purchases and financing, serving as a vital link between manufacturers and retailers. Its platform allows businesses to order a range of materials, including cement, steel, paint, tiles, plumbing, electrical supplies, and finishes for kitchens and bathrooms, with the option to pay later. By connecting small hardware stores with medium-sized retailers in their vicinity, Jumba facilitates inventory updates and streamlines the construction supply chain in Africa, making the procurement process more efficient for hardware retail establishments.

Zydii

Non Equity Assistance in 2023
Zydii Limited is an online learning and teaching platform based in Nairobi, Kenya, founded in 2016. The company focuses on delivering localized digital training solutions specifically designed for the African workforce. Zydii offers a range of affordable and relevant personal development courses, digital courses, and virtual programs, catering to learners, instructors, and businesses. Its proprietary platform supports both online and offline access through USSD and SMS, ensuring that educational resources are engaging and widely accessible. By providing tailor-made courses, Zydii aims to facilitate skill development and drive transformative growth for its users.

Zydii

Non Equity Assistance in 2023
Zydii Limited is an online learning and teaching platform based in Nairobi, Kenya, founded in 2016. The company focuses on delivering localized digital training solutions specifically designed for the African workforce. Zydii offers a range of affordable and relevant personal development courses, digital courses, and virtual programs, catering to learners, instructors, and businesses. Its proprietary platform supports both online and offline access through USSD and SMS, ensuring that educational resources are engaging and widely accessible. By providing tailor-made courses, Zydii aims to facilitate skill development and drive transformative growth for its users.

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, is a pioneering online marketplace that connects clients in the entertainment, media, and lifestyle industries with creative professionals across Africa. Its platform enables users to efficiently source, compare, and book services such as models, makeup artists, voiceover artists, DJs, and filming locations. With a mission to reduce unemployment and foster creativity among African youth, Bookings Africa leverages technology to empower freelancers, facilitating secure online payments and transactions. The company, headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, also has operations in Kenya and Johannesburg, South Africa, benefiting all stakeholders, including service providers, clients, employees, and local media communities.

Zuri Health

Non Equity Assistance in 2022
Zuri Health is a telemedicine company based in Nairobi, Kenya, established in 2020. It aims to provide affordable and accessible healthcare solutions through its app, website, and SMS services. The platform allows patients to schedule lab and diagnostic tests, consult with doctors via chat, purchase medications from pharmacies, and arrange home visits with qualified medical professionals. Zuri Health also employs an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot to enhance user experience. By catering to individuals without smartphones and those in rural or underserved areas, the company strives to ensure that healthcare is universally accessible, thereby addressing gaps in the traditional healthcare system.

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.

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.

Angaza Elimu

Grant in 2021
Angaza Elimu is an ed-tech company dedicated to transforming education in Kenya and across Africa by addressing classroom inefficiencies and the lack of adequate educational resources. The company offers a comprehensive e-Learning platform that simplifies classroom management, allowing teachers to focus more on delivering quality education. Angaza Elimu enhances student engagement through a Student Portal that promotes critical thinking and technological interaction. Additionally, the company provides supplemental training in STEM subjects, fostering innovation and creativity among young learners. With a commitment to empowering African youth, Angaza Elimu also features an Internet of Things school that offers hands-on training in hardware engineering, enabling students to learn at their own pace both inside and outside the classroom.

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.

Pezesha

Grant in 2021
Pezesha is a digital financial marketplace based in Nairobi, Kenya, founded in 2016. The company focuses on connecting small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to various financial resources, including working capital, float financing, and LPO financing. By leveraging credit and data analytics, Pezesha facilitates affordable credit options for underserved micro-businesses, enabling them to access the formal financial system. The platform serves as a bridge between lenders and low-income borrowers, promoting a shared economy and broadening financial access for SMBs. Through its innovative approach, Pezesha aims to be a leading player in Africa's digital financial landscape, enhancing the growth potential of small businesses across the region.

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.

Amitruck

Grant in 2021
Amitruck Limited is a logistics platform that connects cargo owners with trucking logistics professionals, streamlining the delivery process. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, the company offers a mobile and web-based application that allows customers to easily book deliveries for their loads. Amitruck also provides a driver application, enabling transporters to access clients and communicate effectively. The platform enhances user experience by allowing clients to track their deliveries in real-time, receive timely updates, and obtain instant quotes while ensuring access to the nearest available trucks. Through its intuitive interface, Amitruck aims to improve the efficiency and transparency of the logistics process.

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.

Angaza Elimu

Non Equity Assistance in 2021
Angaza Elimu is an ed-tech company dedicated to transforming education in Kenya and across Africa by addressing classroom inefficiencies and the lack of adequate educational resources. The company offers a comprehensive e-Learning platform that simplifies classroom management, allowing teachers to focus more on delivering quality education. Angaza Elimu enhances student engagement through a Student Portal that promotes critical thinking and technological interaction. Additionally, the company provides supplemental training in STEM subjects, fostering innovation and creativity among young learners. With a commitment to empowering African youth, Angaza Elimu also features an Internet of Things school that offers hands-on training in hardware engineering, enabling students to learn at their own pace both inside and outside the classroom.
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