Are you a startup leveraging remote sensing to create value in agriculture and infrastructure, Africa4Future Aerospace Accelerator Program 2020 is for you. This is a joint accelerator program between Airbus Bizlab, a global network of aerospace accelerators, and Make-IT in Africa, a program by GIZ, the German agency for International cooperation.
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This is an accelerator program for Africans with the aim to support entrepreneurship in Africa and, also to build bridges between the aerospace industry and the different players in Africa.
Generally, it is a three-month program that will enable startups explore new business opportunities with Airbus and GIZ. Also, it will bring start-ups and Airbus’ own pioneers together to transform innovative ideas into valuable businesses quickly by combining scale and agility.
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Africa4Future Accelerator Program 2020
Africa4Future is a joint accelerator program between Airbus’ global aerospace accelerator, BizLab, and Make-IT in Africa, a programme by GIZ, the German Agency for International Cooperation.
It was created by Airbus Bizlab in 2017, with the aim to encourage and support entrepreneurship in Africa. It is a programme that selects top startups for intensive six-month business incubation and involves technical, commercial and mentorship activities.
Basically, Africa4Future Aerospace Accelerator Program 2020 is open to African start-ups, service providers, and software companies leveraging remote sensing to create value in agriculture and infrastructure. Some of these include; automation, blockchain, artificial intelligence, data analytics, material composites, manufacturing e.t.c.
Also, the infrastructure includes; transportation/logistics mapping, water monitoring, waste management, real estate, urban development, and other related areas.
In addition, the program is implemented by Co-creation Hub (CcHub), a Pan-African innovation center. It will provide strategic support and practical industry know-how to the startups to engage multiple stakeholders within their ecosystem. Also, it will facilitate their connection with global organisations.
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Benefits Of Participating in the Africa4Future Accelerator Program 2020
Participating in this program will avail you the following;
- Access to the best of Airbus technologies and expertise to create the best possible version of your solution.
- 250,000 credits on the UP42 platform to access powerful analytics tools.
- An opportunity to present a project to the leadership of Airbus and GIZ for potential collaboration
- Tailored coaching to improve your value proposition and your business’ capacity to work with large organizations.
- Connection with Airbus experts, local industry experts, and investors.
- Potential to connect with the global value chain and build commercial traction through events in Africa and Europe (Viva Tech, Africa-France summit and more).
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Eligibility Criteria
This opportunity is for startups, service provider and software companies who are registered in Africa. These companies must have at least one citizen of an African country as an active member of the founding team. The companies should also fit into the following:
- It can create value in the agriculture and infrastructure sectors.
- Should have the ability to leverage remote sensing technologies
- Must have been running operations for at least 1 year
- Should have an existing product with traction (customers and/or revenue)
- Have a strong management team
- Should have experience leveraging partnerships to create impact
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Africa4Future Accelerator Program 2020
The Africa4future accelerator program 2020 program has been designed as a mix of virtual and physical engagements for a period of three months. This will enable participants to continue to run their business even during the program.
So, companies accepted into the accelerator starting on the 13th of April, 2020 would participate in virtual coaching sessions and expert sessions with Airbus experts. They will also attend physical workshops, showcase events in Europe and Africa.
At the end of the program, the startups (either standalone or as a consortium) will have the opportunity to pitch a project to the leadership team at Airbus and GIZ for possible collaboration with both organisations.
How It Works
Below is the time-table of how the three-months program will run;
- April 13th – 17th: kick-off week (virtual)
- May 3rd – 16th: workshops and showcase in Africa
- June 1st – 13th: showcase events, partner meetings, and workshops in Europe.
- July 6th – 8th: Presentation to Airbus leadership and GIZ.
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Please note: Travel, accommodation, and food will be covered for one person per startup for all workshops and events. Attendance to workshops is equally compulsory.
the window for the application is open and will close on March 14, 2020. Hurry up to register now.
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