Apply for the Accelerate Africa Innovation Hub Accelerator Program
Accelerate Africa Innovation Hub Accelerator Program is an early stage, pre-seed focused accelerator program that runs 2 cohorts per year for up to 10 startups, from across the continent who get support in areas such as storytelling, team development, go to market, product development, and fundraising.
With ~2000 applications from 3 cohorts, and 30 startups having been part of the full accelerator program, we have helped founders raise $11.5M since IITF II May 2024. Our mission is to accelerate Africa’s bold and visionary founders who turn collective challenges into global business opportunities by getting them on a path $1M within 18 months
We’re excited to be launching a Request for Innovation focused on Hardware & Infrastructure Technology in Africa in partnership with some of the largest hardware and infrastructure companies in the world.
RFI Background: Africa’s digital and industrial future will be built not only on software, but on a deep integration between software and hardware + infrastructure. From telecom towers and energy systems to mobility devices and locally made electronics, the continent faces urgent challenges in scaling tools, energy, connectivity, and sensing infrastructure.
These challenges create billion-dollar opportunities for startups to design, manufacture, and finance the hardware backbone of Africa’s economy — while enabling talent to build and maintain it.
We’re looking for bold founders to solve these problems with AI, IoT, ML, blockchain, hardware innovation, and new business models.
Important Dates and Deadlines
- Application Opens: Nov 3, 2025
- Application Closes: Nov 21, 2025
- Notifications Go Out: Dec 8, 2025
- Launch Weekend in Ilorin: Jan 15 – Jan 18
- Demo Weekend: Feb 25 – Feb 27 – 2026
- Demo Day: Feb 28 – 2026 Apply Now
Who Should Apply
- Founders building in AI, IoT, cybersecurity, energy, logistics, HR tech, community engagement, or infrastructure SaaS
- AI + IoT infrastructure startups (connectivity, monitoring, optimization)
- Hardware + software innovators willing to pilot solutions across thousands of sites
- Hardware builders (tools, batteries, devices, sensors)
- Fintechs enabling asset financing for hardware
- Workforce development platforms training the next generation of technicians
- Circular economy startups repurposing e-waste into usable electronics
- Teams passionate about creating globally relevant solutions born in Africa
Request for Innovation
Africa’s digital economy is on the rise — expected to top $180 billion by 2025 — but it’s built on fragile foundations. Every time a Lagos tower goes dark from stolen diesel, or a Ghanaian mechanic can’t afford modern tools, or e-waste piles up in a Nairobi dump, the promise of growth stalls.
The paradox is clear: demand is exploding — millions of people are coming online, factories and farms are digitizing, logistics is scaling. But the value chains underneath — energy, talent, connectivity, hardware, governance, community trust — remain underdeveloped, import-dependent, and fragmented. For details visit the program website
We believe the next generation of African unicorns will not come from copying Silicon Valley software plays, but from building and owning these value chains end-to-end. Apply Now
