Six ocean-minded entrepreneurs have been selected for the second edition of the OceanHub Africa accelerator programme.
Disrupt Africa reported in October 2019 on the launch of OceanHub Africa, an African-based ecosystem enabler and startup accelerator supported by Wesgro, the French Embassy, Dassault Systèmes and the V&A Waterfront.
Founded by Stéphanie Canac and Alexis Grosskopf, OceanHub plans to inspire and support scalable ocean-minded businesses and nurture an environmentally conscious and profitable economy that effectively mitigates the effects of global warming as well as the overexploitation and pollution of the oceans.
Its second online accelerator has just kicked off, aiming to shape better interactions between people and oceans in support of the Sustainable Development Goal 14 – Life Below Water. Selected applicants gain access to OceanHub Africa’s partners’ service packages and its highly qualified network of stakeholders and facilitators, who will help startups devise sustainable pathways yielding stable profits and avenues for scalable growth throughout Africa.
Six candidates have been selected for the second cohort, selected from 130 applicants coming from 24 African countries. They include Ailars David, co-founder of Arena Recycling Industry from Tanzania; Matthew Bray, CEO of Brayfoil Technologies from South Africa; and Victor Boyle-Komolafe, co-founder of Givo from Nigeria.
The cohort is completed by Eva Shitaatala, founder of Green Ocean Namibia; Never Mwambela Zekeya, founder of Plant Biofenders from Tanzania; and Nonso Opurum, co-founder of Soso Care from Nigeria.
Over the next six months, these projects will be supported by the accelerator’s team, mentors and partners to grow their business, through product development; access to business, engineering and scientific expertises; access to market leads; hands-on services from corporate partners; and support along the fundraising journey, from pitching to structuring deals from the OceanHub Africa’s extensive network of international impact investors.
