ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator, a Lagos-based program to build early stage African fintech and proptech startups, has announced its inaugural class. The cohort is made up of 10 Nigerian and 2 Kenyan startups, with 50% female CEOs. Beyond applying, the founders went through several interviews with members of the Techstars global team, and a final interview with Techstars Managing Director, Oyin Solebo and a 15-member screening committee.

The founders officially began the 13-week program on the 5th of December 2022, and have had engagements with over 100 mentors and speakers including Tunde Kehinde, Co-founder & CEO, Lidya, Bode Abifarin- COO, Flutterwave, Fara Ashiru Jituboh, Founder & CEO, Okra and Amandine Lobelle, COO, Paystack. The accelerator’s investment of up to USD 120 K in each startup, as well as training and a vast investor network will be significant in the growth and longevity of the cohorts. The demo day is set for the 16th of March 2023.  

The startups include; real estate investment platform, AlphabloQ; Peppa.io, a startup  making it safer to buy on social platforms for Africans through the use of payment protection; CDcare, which enables Africans to own gadgets, appliances, cars and more at zero interest, through smart installment plans; Cladfy, which provides microfinance lenders with credit profiling, digitized loan management, and access to affordable, reliable financing; Flick, enabling users to connect multiple bank accounts and pay directly from one source; Keble, a startup that enables Africans at home and abroad to purchase fractional shares of global real estate; Keza Africa, enables people to buy brand-new and certified pre-owned smartphones on a flexible payment plan; Salad, which provides employees with access to financial services and benefits beyond their monthly paycheck; Sidebrief, which simplifies the process of starting and scaling a business across borders, with its one stop solution for registration, banking and regulatory compliance; Towntalk, a protection platform giving companies peace of mind when moving goods and people; Vittas, a digital lender for healthcare providers and Oystr Finance, a startup democratizing credit in Africa.