Telecommunications giants, Telecel Group, is set to rollout its flagship social accelerator and investment programme, the Africa Start-up Initiative Program (ASIP) powered by Startupbootcamp AfriTech in Ghana.

The ASIP/SBC/AfriTech scouting team will be in Accra on 27^th October, 2022 to scout for prospective start-ups for enrolment in the programme after holding similar events in Abidjan, Lagos, Kampala, Addis Ababa, and Nairobi.

Applications for Cohort 3 of the ASIP Accelerator programme which will be launched in February 2023, opened in August this year.

“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 programme”, said Henry Ojuor, the Director of the Accelerator Program.

The Ghana FastTrack to be held at the Accra Digital Centre, coincides with Ghana Digital Innovation Week.

“The Ghana Digital Centre (GDCL) is excited to host the Fasttrack event. It comes at a time when GDCL is intensifying collaborations with key stakeholders to identify and create opportunities that accelerate the growth of digital start-ups in line with its objective of fostering innovation and entrepreneurship through the provision of platforms for business incubation, business acceleration, digital research, and development programs”, said Kwadwo Baah Agyemang, the Managing Director of the Ghana Digital Centre.

The Executive Deputy for Telecel Group and Director of ASIP, Eleanor Azar, said: “The potential we see in Ghana is exponential and we look forward to welcoming more Ghanaian Start-ups to ASIP. The support of the Accra Digital Center to pursue our goals in Ghana and launch the ASIP Initiative has been instrumental, and we look forward to more events like this”.

The upcoming cohort will include businesses disrupting key industry verticals that include FinTech, InsureTech, AgriTech, Climate-tech, eCommerce, Digital Health, CleanTech, Mobility, Micro-leasing, and digitizing the informal economy.

Founded by Telecel Group CEO, Moh Damush, the Telecel Group ASIP is designed to develop new businesses across the continent by working with start-ups and early-stage companies to define their business strategy and secure funding.  With the support of leading pan-African tech accelerator, Startuobootcam AfriTech, the programme has since 2021 empowered 21 businesses with a combined valuation of over USD 80 million.

ASIP is supported by partners such as DER/FJ (a Department of the Republic of Senegal), the Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank (FMO), ENRICH in Africa (a European Union-funded project), AWS, Microsoft, and Google.

Apart from general applicants, Organisers said participation is available to two other categories: a founder looking for support; an investor or ecosystem player looking to share insights and give feedback to founders who may attend as a mentor: