Meet Google for Startups Black Founders Fund in Africa 2022 Startups
Summary
Africa is home to 17% of the worlds population, yet fewer than 4% of clinical trials are conducted on the continent.. Melissa Bime, CEO of Cameroonian startup Infiuss Health , saw this as an opportunity to leverage technology to connect researchers with volunteers for clinical trials and research across Africa. Infiuss Health, which received the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund in Africa in 2021, is one of a handful of African healthtech firms attempting to make healthcare more accessible and inclusive while simultaneously supporting the regions developing digital economy.Over $4 billion was invested in African companies in 2021 , a 2.5-fold increase over 2020, and the upward trend of hundreds of millions in funding bodes well for 2022. More than $3 billion has been raised by African companies in 2022 despite the economic slump, proving that investors have faith in the vital work being done by African startups and that far more might be accomplished with the right support.Since introducing the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund in Africa in 2021, weve supported 50 startups from nine African countries that have gone on to raise over $87 million and created 518 jobs.We are now pleased to announce that 60 additional startups have been selected as beneficiaries of the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund in Africa 2022! This cohort represents 10 African countries , with Botswana joining the program for the first time. The startups will also receive ongoing hands-on business and technical mentorship from Googles network of mentors and facilitators, learning the best practices on a range of topics from artificial intelligence, organizational culture, people management, to growth strategies and more.