On Friday 4th November 2022, Katapult Africa officially launched its Accelerator Program in Kigali, Rwanda together with its partners, NORAD - Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Norrsken and Smart Africa, with announcement of awards to 9 start-ups during the first round of funding. The lead investors in the Fund include Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB), Norfund and SOS-Barnebyer.  

 

The selected start-ups participating in Katapult’s Accelerator Program include GrowAgric and Aquarech from Kenya, Legendary Foods and Spark from Ghana, Gricd Agroservice and Vetsak Cleva from Nigeria, Afrikamart from Senegal, Sand to Green from Morocco, and Elucid from Madagascar.  

 

Graced by Hon. Paula Ingabire, Rwanda’s Minister of ICT and Innovation, the event provided an opportunity for Katapult to showcase its latest investments into 9 highly impactful, highly scalable companies looking to innovate within the fields of food-, climate- and agri-tech. The start-ups were selected from over 700 companies and represent some of the most inspiring solutions to the greatest challenges we face today.  

 

For three months, the cohort of the selected start-ups will go through Katapult’s world-class impact accelerator program, where they will engage in rigorous workshops, online meetups, mentor sessions, pitch training and investor presentations, with the aim of making them ready for scaling in African markets.  

 

Speaking during the event held at Norrsken House Kigali on Friday, Louise Kanyonga, the Deputy CEO of RSSB, said that RSSB is pleased to be one of the investors in the Katapult Africa Seed Fund.  

 

“The fund will unlock tremendous value & deliver impact by leveraging technology. We appreciate cornerstone investors, such as Katapult Group, Norfund, SOS Barnebyer, on this historical opportunity that will improve lives of the people of Rwanda & Africa,” noted Louise Kanyonga.  

 

“Investing in start-ups aligns to RSSB’s objective to generate positive social and environmental impact alongside strong financial returns,’’ she added.  

 

Katapult’s founder Tharald Nustad said that, “With a climate in crisis, it is all too clear that we must accelerate technologies to both overcome climate challenges and ensure food security. We simultaneously believe that Africa with its fast-growing business communities and young, tech-savvy population are best placed to deliver highly scalable, highly impactful solutions.”  

 

The Katapult Africa Accelerator Program is a ground-breaking program that combines 90 days of intense digital and physical workshops, network & learning sessions with $150,000 equity investments in each selected startup.