Afrilearn, Utiva Among 6 Nigerian Startups Selected For $20,000 Future Of Work Africa Accelerator
Afrilearn, Utiva among 6 Nigerian startups selected for $20,000 Future of Work Africa Accelerator
Afrilearn and Utiva are two edtech startups among six Nigerian companies selected to participate in the 2021 Future of Work Africa Accelerator Programme.
The programme is a startup accelerator focused on supporting and scaling for-profit, market-based solutions in education, employment, and benefits that can assist young people in Africa in better planning for and navigating the future of work.
Village Capital has chosen 23 early-stage startups from across Africa for this year's accelerator. Nigeria has the most representatives with six, Kenya has four, and Ghana, Tanzania, and South Africa each have two.
$20,000 up for Grabs
The program will run from May to August 2021 for the selected startups. Each cohort's top two peer-selected businesses will receive $20,000 in capital to aid in their growth.
Each startup accepted into the accelerator program will have the opportunity to work closely with industry experts, investors, and ecosystem partners to develop the networks necessary to scale their impact.
Abaca, Village Capital's global online network that assists entrepreneurs in evaluating and organizing their businesses for investment, will be available to all program participants.
Meet the startups
Here is a brief summary of some of the African startups selected;
Afrilearn
Afrilearn is a streaming education service that enables Nigerian and West African Secondary School Students (JSS1-SS3) to access a comprehensive curriculum of relevant subjects at their convenience and at any time.
The startup was one of three Nigerian ventures that recently won the Digital Entrepreneurship Competition sponsored by the US-Africa Business Center. It was recently named one of ten startups that survived the intensive three-month iNOVO Accelerator Programme run by the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub.
Drivers Nigeria
Employers (private vehicle owners and enterprises) can easily and quickly hire verified, vetted, reliable, and well-trained professional drivers on-demand and in real-time through Drivers Nigeria.
Within two years, the company vetted and onboarded over 9,000 vetted registered drivers. Additionally, it has partnered with Uber to serve over 3,000 employers. It is currently assisting over 50 companies in resolving driver recruitment issues.
Gradely
Gradely is an educational technology company that enables schools and parents in Nigeria to provide a personalized learning experience for students in grades K through 12.
The company was recently funded by Nigerian venture capital firm Microtraction and also won last year's MEST Africa Nigeria Challenge.
Terawork.com Limited
Terawork is an online freelance marketplace that connects businesses and entrepreneurs with qualified and established freelancers, independent professionals, and agencies on-demand.
Last year, the company participated in Forbes and Global Startup Ecosystem's Nigeria's First Resilience Digital Startup Accelerator program.
Utiva
Utiva is a technology talent developer digitizing technology education across Africa, founded in 2017 by Edtech entrepreneur Eyitayo Ogunmola.
Utiva develops tech talent through live virtual classes taught by expert instructors in areas such as data analysis, product management, digital marketing, artificial intelligence, and UI/UX design.
The startup was chosen as one of the winners of Facebook's $3 million community accelerator program.
Wootlab Foundation
Wootlab Foundation is a software development and talent management platform dedicated to upskilling unemployed and underemployed youth.
Recently, the company partnered with Google and the Kwara State Government to train over 30,000 youths throughout the state.
Summary
The pandemic of last year sparked a paradigm shift in how we work. Future of Work believes that by promoting innovative startups that leverage technology to increase access to digital skills, African youths can discover new opportunities.
Courses and Certification
Information Technology Fundamentals Course and Certificate
Internet of Things (IoT) Course and Certificate
Internet Technologies Course and Certificate
