NBA Africa Reveals 10 Finalists for Triple-Double Accelerator Demo Day to Power the Continent's Innovation Strategy

NBA Africa Reveals 10 Finalists for Triple-Double Accelerator Demo Day to Power the Continent's Innovation Strategy

NBA Africa has announced its 10 finalists for the second Triple-Double Accelerator Demo Day, set for Friday, December 5, in Kigali.

The finalists from North, West, East, and Southern Africa will pitch their products to some of the most esteemed international industry leaders at Carnegie Mellon University Africa (CMU-Africa) in Rwanda during this highly anticipated event. 

Much like the NBA's HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) led NBA Tech Challenge, NBA Africa launched the Triple-Double Accelerator in 2023 to support Africa's technology ecosystem through strategic investments and organised mentorship.

Many basketball fans may not realise that the NBA's commitment to Africa extends beyond the hardwood. For several years now, the league's African office has been dedicated to promoting innovative ideas in sports and the creative economy.

The finalists represent five countries and demonstrate a variety of strategies to advance Africa's sports and technology sectors. Selected from more than 700 applications across the continent, these entrepreneurs, creatives, and inventors were chosen to help shape Africa's innovation future.

CMU-Africa joined this year as an Official Partner following its established reputation for high-level research and engineering education.

The institution is the sole U.S. research university providing full-time master's degrees with its faculty and operations entirely in Africa. This involvement enhances the program's academic foundation and accelerates participants' development.

The finalists will pitch their products to a panel that will choose five winners, each receiving substantial financial support. These winners will also participate in CMU-Africa's twelve-month Business Incubation Program, hosted at the institution's Innovation Hub. The incubator guides start-ups from early-stage prototypes to scalable market-ready products.

Finalists are currently preparing for Demo Day, during which their pitches will shape the next phase of their entrepreneurial paths. NBA Africa plans to keep backing Africa's tech talent with ongoing investments and broader development opportunities.

Beloware the 10 startups competing for the five available prize-winning positions:
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• Athlon Technology (Egypt) (https://AthlonTechnology.com/) aims to leverage accessible mobile technology and AI to provide video analysis for amateur and budget-constrained sports teams while addressing a market gap with a user-friendly, hardware-light solution.  
• Atsur (Nigeria) (https://apo-opa.co/4pxsTCH) leverages blockchain technology to promote investment in African art and support artists and art communities.
• CoLab (South Africa) (https://apo-opa.co/3XiPvek) is a platform that brings together creatives, entrepreneurs and industry professionals, providing a space to connect, manage projects and bring ideas to life.
• Contestify (Nigeria) (www.Contestify.io) is an all-in-one platform that streamlines contest management, offering real-time judging, transparent scoring and instant payouts.
• Fitclan (Egypt) (https://Fitclan.co/) is a digital fitness hub that leverages a flexible subscription model for individuals and corporate clients.
• Novate (Morocco) (www.Novate.ltd/en) offers a unique, immersive virtual reality (VR) football viewing experience with features such as seat selection, camera switching, social voice chat and live stats.
• ProPath Sports (Kenya) (www.ProPathSports.com) revolutionizes athlete discovery in Kenya with data-driven talent identification; its iSTEAM program covers all aspects of talent development.
• Reborn (Morocco) (https://RebornSportsTech.com/) offers comprehensive performance indicators that give athletes deep insights into their physical condition and on-field performance, essential for identifying strengths, areas for improvement, and optimizing overall performance.
• Safia Health (Kenya) (https://SafiaHealth.com/) offers personalized training regiments that integrate fitness, recovery and mental wellbeing tracking into a unified platform, offering value to athletes and coaches.
• SongDis (Nigeria) (www.SongDis.com) provides comprehensive digital distribution and services tailored for African independent artists and labels.
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“The quality of this year’s applications reflects the incredible talent and creativity among Africa’s young entrepreneurs as well as the important role that the sport and creative industries are playing in the continent’s development,” said NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi.  

“These startups represent the bold spirit of innovation rising across the continent – where creativity meets purpose, and ideas have the power to scale beyond borders.”

Last year, four prize-winning companies, Festival Coins (Nigeria), Salubata (Nigeria), HustleSasa (Kenya), and UBR VR (Egypt), received financial support and mentorship as part of the programme's inaugural edition.

[Images Courtesy of NBA Africa]