NBA Deputy Commissioner and COO Mark Tatum announced the four startup awardees from the NBA Africa Triple Double Accelerator, which NBA Africa launched in April 2024 to support the continent’s technology ecosystem and the next generation of African entrepreneurs.
The four winning companies – Festival Coins (Nigeria), Salubata (Nigeria), HustleSasa (Kenya) and UBR VR (Egypt) – will receive financial support and mentorship, including the opportunity to participate in workshops and development programs hosted by NBA Africa or its partners.
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Selected from more than 700 early-stage African startups that applied to participate, the 10 finalists pitched their products to a panel of international industry leaders at a Demo Day held at NBA Headquarters in New York City on September 25.
The judges included Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, co-founder and CEO of Accelerate Africa, Franciscus Diaba, deputy general counsel for technology, software licensing and digital platforms at NBA, Crystal Rugege, managing director of the Rwanda Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Dan Rosensweig, chairman of the board of directors at Chegg Inc., and Joanne Yoo, partner at Development Partners International.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver also gave opening remarks and met with the 10 finalists.
Accelerator winners
Festival Coins (Nigeria), an event technology company offering Tix Africa, a customizable no-code event registration and ticketing platform for events in Nigeria and Ghana, won the first prize and $50,000. Salubata (Nigeria), a company that manufactures modular shoes made from recycled plastic waste, reducing the global carbon footprint through eco-friendly products, won the runner-up prize and $40,000. HustleSasa (Kenya), which provides live event services supporting payment processing, attendee check-in, merch sales, customer data management, influencer tracking and more, won the third place prize and $30,000. UBR VR (Egypt), which provides cutting-edge fully immersive, in-person virtual reality (VR) experiences across Egypt, won the fourth place prize and $20,000.
The other six finalists each received a prize of $10,000.
The Demo Day was supported by three official partners: Paystack Payment Ltd., Kuramo Capital Management, and the Nigerian University of Technology and Management (NUTM).
What they’re saying
“We congratulate all of the incredibly talented entrepreneurs who took part in this year’s programme, especially our ten finalists and four outstanding winners,” said Clare Akamanzi, CEO of NBA Africa.
“These outstanding companies have demonstrated the creativity, drive and determination to shape the future of sport in Africa and will help the continent take its rightful place on the global stage. We look forward to watching their success for years to come.”
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