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.

First launched in 2017, the #Africa4Future initiative was created by Airbus BizLab with the objective to encourage and support entrepreneurship in Africa. Through #Africa4future, Airbus seeks to build bridges between the aerospace industry and the different players in Africa.

For this third edition, the accelerator is open to African start-ups, service providers, software companies that are actively working on solutions in Agriculture and infrastructure that are related to remote-sensing technology. This includes automation, blockchain, artificial intelligence, data analytics, material composites, manufacturing and more. Infrastructure refers to transportation/logistics mapping, water monitoring, waste management, real estate, urban development and other related areas.

The program is implemented by Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB), a Pan-African innovation center with a track record of accelerating the application of social capital and technology for economic prosperity. CcHUB will provide strategic support and practical industry know-how to the startups to engage multiple stakeholders within their ecosystem and facilitate the connection with these global organizations.

DURATION: 3 Months

Benefits of the Africa4Future Accelerator 

1. Access to the best of Airbus technologies and expertise to create the best possible version of your solution.
2. 250,000 credits on the UP42 platform to access powerful analytics tools
3. An opportunity to present a project to the leadership of Airbus and GIZ for potential collaboration.
4. Tailored coaching to improve your value proposition and your business’ capacity to work with large organizations.
5. Connection with Airbus experts, local industry experts and investors.
6. Potential to connect with the global value chain and build commercial traction through showcase events in Africa and Europe (Viva Tech, Africa-France summit and more)

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

We are looking for startups/solution providers/companies that:

• Create value in Agriculture and Infrastructure sectors
• Have the ability to leverage remote sensing technologies
• Have been running operations for at least 1 year
• Have an existing product with traction (customers and/or revenue)
• Have a strong management team
• Have experience leveraging partnerships to create impact

In addition to the above, companies must be registered in Africa and at least one active member of the founding team must be a Citizen of an African country.

Accelerator Timeline

The program is designed to be a mix of virtual and physical engagements. This ensures that you are able to continue running your business during the program. Companies accepted into the accelerator starting on the 13th of April, 2020 would participate in virtual coaching sessions, expert sessions with Airbus experts, physical workshops, showcase events in Europe and Africa. The timeline for physical engagements is as below and virtual coaching sessions would hold throughout the 3-month period;
 

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

Travel, accommodation and food will be covered for one person per startup for all workshops and events. Attendance to workshops are compulsory.

To learn more about the accelerator, visit the main website here: https://www.airbus-bizlab.com/africa4future

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