Safaricom, M-PESA Announce 9 Companies Selected To Receive Training In Spark Accelerator Programme

• Safaricom has announced the first cohort of its Spark Accelerator Program, selecting nine early-stage startups to receive training, mentorship, and go-to-market support
• The program, in partnership with M-PESA Africa and Sumitomo Corporation, offers the startups access to markets, capital, technology, and product development support to help them grow and scale
• Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa emphasised the programme's goal to drive meaningful innovation, societal change, and economic growth

Elijah Ntongai, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, has more than three years of financial, business, and technology research expertise, providing insights into Kenyan and global trends.

Safaricom has unveiled the inaugural cohort of its Spark Accelerator Program, which will support nine early-stage startups.

This initiative will provide the selected startups with comprehensive training, mentorship, and go-to-market assistance, including access to markets, capital, technology, and product development support.

The Accelerator program, launched last year in partnership with M-Pesa Africa and Sumitomo Corporation, follows the restructuring of Safaricom’s Spark Venture Fund.

It aims to accelerate product innovation and enable startups to grow and scale their businesses.

Speaking during the event, Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa said, “Leveraging technology to drive meaningful innovation is a strong premise under which the Spark Accelerator program was founded. By supporting and investing in these tech-enabled startups, we aim to drive significant societal change and economic growth.”

List of startups selected for the first cohort

The first cohort of the Spark Accelerator Program includes:

• Chumz – A fintech company aiming to encourage savings and investment.
• BlackRhino VR – An Extended Reality firm creating solutions for creators and brands, recently launching a no-code augmented-reality platform.
• HealthX Africa – A MedTech player offering both digital and physical healthcare solutions.
• Nobuk – A fintech startup simplifying financial reporting and streamlining payment collection.
• Chpter – An SME productivity startup building an AI-powered B2C platform for social media marketing and payments.
• Faidi HR – A startup developing an all-in-one Cloud payroll and HR platform for businesses.
• Churpy – A company automating repetitive and manual CFO tasks.
• VunaPay – A fintech in the agricultural sector facilitating payments to smallholder farmers.
• Twiva – A social-commerce platform connecting brands with social media influencers to market their products and services.

Through this initiative, Safaricom aims to empower these startups to create impactful solutions that drive economic growth and societal transformation.

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Safaricom, M-Pesa Africa and Sumitomo Corporation unveil startups for the Spark Accelerator Programme.

Safaricom, M-PESA Announce 9 Companies Selected to Receive Training in

Safaricom, M-PESA Africa, and Sumitomo Corporation Launch Accelerator