NBA Africa announced five prize-winning startups from its Triple-Double Accelerator, awarding funding, CMU-Africa incubation, and top-tier AI support to help scale Africa’s next generation of innovators. The program continues to strengthen the continent’s basketball and tech ecosystem by empowering solutions that enhance athlete performance, fan engagement, and creative industries.
Last Updated on
December 7, 2025
NBA Africa has unveiled the five prize-winning startups from the second edition of the NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator, a program rapidly emerging as one of the most influential catalysts for sport, innovation, and entrepreneurship on the continent. Launched last year, the initiative aims to supercharge Africa’s technology ecosystem and empower the next generation of African founders, mirroring the “triple-double” impact the NBA celebrates on the court: excellence, versatility, and long-term growth.
This year’s winning startups—Reborn (Morocco), Fitclan (Egypt), Athlon Technology (Egypt),Atsur (Nigeria), and Songdis (Nigeria)—will receive financial support and a coveted opportunity to join Carnegie Mellon University Africa’s 12-month Business Incubation Program. Valued at up to $70,000, the program helps startups turn promising prototypes into scalable, market-ready products, directly strengthening Africa’s sports-tech and creative industries.
The top three startups also received $10,000 in API credits and an exclusive immersion day with OpenAI’s engineering team, giving founders access to some of the world’s leading AI innovators, an invaluable leap forward as African tech integrates machine learning and data science at scale.
Selected from more than 700 applicants across 32 countries, the 10 finalists pitched their innovations at a Demo Day hosted at CMU-Africa in Kigali, Rwanda. The judging panel featured leading global innovators including CMU-Africa Director Dr.Conrad Tucker, OpenAI Africa Lead Emmanuel Lubanzadio, and ServiceNow Africa Vice President Cheick Camara, alongside Strategy & Ops Head Nikki van Gasse.
Supported by CMU-Africa, ServiceNow and OpenAI—and powered operationally by ALX Ventures—the Triple-Double Accelerator continues to unite world-class institutions with Africa’s most forward-thinking young companies.
1st Place – Reborn (Morocco)
Providing advanced performance indicators for athletes, Reborn helps teams and individuals understand physical condition, identify weaknesses, and optimize training.
2nd Place – Fitclan (Egypt)
A digital fitness hub offering flexible subscriptions for individuals and corporate organizations.
3rd Place – Athlon Technology (Egypt)
Using AI and mobile technology to provide accessible video analysis for amateur and budget-constrained teams—a critical tool for developing African sports talent.
4th Place – Atsur (Nigeria)
A blockchain-powered platform promoting investment in African art and empowering artists and communities.
5th Place – Songdis (Nigeria)
A digital distribution and artist-service platform tailored to empower Africa’s independent musicians.
NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi praised the founders for their talent, ambition, and creativity, emphasizing how their innovations will shape the future of sport and entertainment across Africa.
“The 10 finalists and five prize-winning companies differentiated themselves through bold, innovative solutions that are shaping the future of sport and entertainment in Africa. The support they receive from this program will help them scale their products and make alasting impact on the continent and globally.”
By combining athlete development, digital fitness, AI-driven coaching tools, creative industry support, and next-gen blockchain solutions, this year’s winners highlight the essential role the Triple-Double Accelerator plays in strengthening the continent’s basketball ecosystem.
[Photography Courtesy of NBA Africa]
