ACTIVITIES | MAKE-IT ACCELERATOR
WE PROMOTE DIGITAL INNOVATION FOR SUSTAINABLE AND INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT.
supporting 60 tech entrepreneurs
who make a difference for sustainable and inclusive development
3×3 months program per cohort
facilitated by renowned partners from the ecosystem
22,000 EUR
net worth of in-kind support for each start-up
THE MAKE-IT ACCELERATOR
The Make-IT Accelerator offers tech start-ups from East and West Africa a nine-month programme to help them strengthen their growth, cooperation and investment readiness.
GIZ implementes the non-profit support programme in collaboration with renowned accelerators and hubs, as well as corporate and financing partners. As a non-profit provider, we take no equity, we charge no participation fee, and we make no other claims on intellectual property.
OUR APPROACH
In its first cohort, the Make-IT Accelerator offers 28 promising technology start-ups in East and West Africa a comprehensive range of local and international support over a 9-month period. The unique program provides access to large international corporations and investors who want to share their industry expertise, learn from talented entrepreneurs and enter into mutually beneficial partnerships.
Based in Lagos, Nigeria and Nairobi, Kenya, the programme consists of three successive phases and promotes sustainable and inclusive development for African technology start-ups. The accelerator is part of our support for a local and sustainable business ecosystem in East and West Africa.
We offer start-ups:
- a tailor-made scaling plan for innovation;
- 3 x 3 months of interactive, blended trainings for growth, cooperation and investment readiness;
- free access to mentoring for business development, technical expertise and scaling;
- coverage of travel expenses for accelerator and exposure events;
- access to co-working spaces in Lagos or Nairobi during the first three months;
- preferred access to investor pitches, demo days and financing opportunities;
- regional networking events with investors, mentors and corporate partners;
- international exposure trips for Investor/Customer/Partner acquisition;
- the chance to participate in the “Make-IT Network” with access to events, meet-ups and network of interesting partners;
- startup2startup exchanges (peer 2 peer learning)
- and best of all: We don’t take equity – but we don’t directly fund either.
Our three phases approach
OUR GOALS
We strive to:
- scale digital innovative businesses and boost start-up growth,
- support cooperation and investment readiness,
- provide access to finance and corporate partners,
- make a real contribution to sustainable and inclusive development,
- and draw international attention to your products and solutions.
OUR TARGET GROUP
We support start-ups that:
- are registered as business entitites in an African country and have been in operation for at least one full year,
- run a digital product or service on the market (software or hardware),
- have a business model with a social impact and the potential to scale,
- and have a team of at least two people.
LATEST NEWS FROM THE MAKE-IT ACCELERATOR
In January 2018 the first round of the Make-IT Accelerator has been launched in Nigeria and Kenya. At the time, Make-IT in Africa is supporting entrepeneurs in building, fostering and strengthening their start-ups.
Stay tuned – 2018 is going to be an exciting year!
Make-IT Demo Day in Nairobi
From April 16 to 20, 2018 the Make-IT in Africa Transition Days took place in Nairobi. One highlight for tech entrepreneurs from East Africa was the Demo Day on Friday, 20 April 2018, hosted by Nailab. The Demo Day marks the start-ups’ transition to the second phase (corporate connect stage, led by AHK, VC4A and…
Transition Week in Lagos
Transition Days in Lagos kicked-off at the Co-Creation Hub (CcHub) with sessions focused on transitioning the startups from “training mode” to “cooperation mode”. For the past 3 months, startups in the Lagos Accelerator participated in an intense training program facilitated by CcHub. This was the First Phase of the Make-IT Accelerator program and the focus was…
Taimba wins FoodCityPrice @ SWSX2018
Congratulations to Taimba for winning the FoodCityPrice at the SWSX in Austin, Texas, USA! Have a look at the announcement video
Make-IT startups @ the Stars in Africa Awards
On 6th March 2018, 5 start-ups from the Make-IT Accelerator Kenya participated in the international start-up pitching contest “Stars in Africa Awards” in Nairobi, Kenya. The 5 start-ups Make-IT in Africa signed up for the contest are: Micrive Invinite Ltd, Tech Kidz Africa, Taimba, Grassroots Bima, and ZOA. The contest aims at showing innovative, disruptive and…
Gjenge Makers Ltd. visits plastic recycling company in Germany.
02.03.2018 | Germany Make-IT start-up Gjenge Makers Ltd. visits plastic recycling company in Germany. Ndungu Njau from Gjenge visited the Working Group for PVC Flooring Recycling (AgPR) to find out about modern methods for recycling plastics. The aim of interest was the recycling plant itself. There, old floor coverings, which accrue during demolition or renovation…
Convinced audience at the 5th German-African Economic Forum NRW
27.02.2018 | Dortmund, Germany Make-IT in Africa invited six start-ups from Kenya, Ghana and Sierra Leone to pitch at the 5th German-African Economic Forum NRW in Dortmund, Germany. Between 26.02 and 02.03.2018, the six start-ups SnooCode, Gjenge Enterprises, Track Your Build, AgroCenta, Equatorial Energies and BRCK participated in a matchmaking trip to Germany, aimed at…
Make-IT Accelerator participant on stage – at the German-African Agribusiness Forum in Berlin
22.02.2018 | Berlin, Germany Annona speaks about the future of agriculture technology in Africa in Berlin! Last Thursday, Ashley King-Bishof – CEO and CoFounder of Annona spoke at the panel discussion on ‘Digitalisation in the Agri-Sector’ at the German-African Agribusiness Forum in Berlin. Key topic of the discussion was the potential digital farming tools have…
Make-IT Accelerator Nigeria – Start of day 2
2nd day of the Make-IT Accelerator in Nigeria: Self-assessment session – working on business concepts and product review. For more information on the ‘Make-IT in Africa Accelerator’ visit: https://make-it-initiative.org/africa/activities/make-it-accelerator/
Make-IT Accelerator Kenya – Start of week 2
Starting the 2nd of the Make-IT Accelerator program in Nairobi with a session on design thinking and product market fit: Start-ups discussing Design Thinking and discovering the customer’s real problem vs the business person’s perception. Case studies of Facebook shift, Kodak failure to innovate, Good Kitchen success in Denmark are then assessed.
TSH News release on the Make-IT Accelerator
Make-IT in Africa announces the 28 entrepreneurs from Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Kenya and Uganda in the first round of their Make-IT Accelerator Programme… Read the full Article at TSH
