Airbus BizLab Africa4Future Business Accelerator 2019 for African Startups (Fully-funded)

Deadline: November 30, 2018

Project proposals are invited for the Africa4Future Aerospace Accelerator. The BizLab #Africa4Future initiative supports collaboration between Airbus and African startups by offering mentorship, networking and coaching.

Africa4Future is a “Joint Accelerator Program” between Airbus BizLab & GIZ Make-IT in Africa. The program contributes to UN SDG #9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, and looks to foster the development of aerospace technologies with a goal of helping to solve development challenges in Africa. They focus on early-stage tech start-ups with technologies aimed at unmanned logistics and remote sensing, including automation and drones, electrification, blockchain, artificial intelligence, data analytics and material composites and manufacturing.

The program is implemented by a MEST & Innocircle consortium. MEST is a non-profit Pan-African organization where startups, entrepreneurs and members of the tech community can come together to meet, work and build. Innocircle is a South African based innovation consultancy focusing on co-creating the future with a global network.

Benefits

The top ten applicants will have the opportunity to join a six-month acceleration program, starting on 7th January 2019.

The teams will benefit from:

• Access to industry-leading experts
• Feedback on technology and business model
• Showcase at Paris International Airshow (France) and CeBit Hanover (Germany)
• Opportunity to launch a collaboration project with Airbus

As part of the program, you will participate in a mix of virtual business support and physical workshops. The preliminary programme includes:

• 15-17 January: Kick-off in Nigeria
  04-17 March: Workshop in Europe
  13-24 May: Workshop in South Africa
  19-26 June: DemoDays in Paris and Hanover

From January to June, all startups will have access to virtual mentoring and co-working spaces in Accra (Ghana), Lagos (Nigeria), Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Cape Town (South Africa) and Nairobi (Kenya).

Travel, accommodation and food will be covered for one person per startup for all workshops. Attendance to workshops are compulsory.

Eligibility

• Open to African startups innovating in:
  • Automation and Drones
  • Electrification
  • Blockchain
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Data Analytics
  • Material Composites
  • Manufacturing

Application

Click here to apply.

For more information, visit Africa4Future.