Surge Africa (Techstars'23)

📢 Announcing the 12 startups selected for our ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator 2023 program! 🌍 This cohort is a testament to the wealth of talent, innovation, and ingenuity within the African tech ecosystem, and I am personally excited about what the future holds, not just for our tech ecosystem, but for the entire continent as a whole. 🇳🇬 Beauty Hut Africa leverages technology to bridge the gap between beauty brands and consumers through efficient product distribution and marketing channels. 🇳🇬 Eight Medical is an end-to-end platform that connects users in need to emergency medical resources (hospitals, ambulances, personnel, information & credit). 🇳🇬 GetEquity facilitates access to investment opportunities by SEC-accredited providers, reducing entry barriers through investment aggregation. 🇳🇬 Jump n Pass (Techstars '23) n Pass is a mobile self-checkout platform for modern retail in Africa. They enable shoppers to use their smartphones to effortlessly scan product barcodes, pay for items, and skip long queues. 🇬🇭 One Plan enables workers in Africa’s informal economy to create affordable financial plans, making it easier to start a retirement plan, access low-interest credit, and access health + life insurance cover. 🇳🇬 PBR Life Sciences offers pharmaceutical, consumer healthcare and medical device companies fast and easy access to high-quality market data and insights, helping them make objective decisions. 🇳🇬 PressOne.Africa provides African businesses with deeper insights into phone conversations with customers through a communication platform that provides conversation intelligence and call monitoring. 🇳🇬 Rana Energy democratizes access to clean and reliable solar systems for SMEs and residential customers through affordable long-term solar subscriptions, replacing the need for expensive, unreliable, & toxic backup generators. 🇰🇪🇺🇬 Surge Africa allows individuals, micro-entrepreneurs and MSMEs in Africa to make instant cross-border transfers and pay up to 80% less in fees. 🇬🇭 Swoove360 empowers logistics companies in emerging markets to digitize and scale their businesses with dispatch automation, fleet management, tracking and telematics, and a wide delivery network. 🇳🇬 VeendHQ enables individuals and businesses with verifiable income to access funds on-demand, addressing their needs for emergency funds or working capital. 🇳🇬 24seven co is an asset-light marketplace that enables small businesses and convenience stores to order inventory on credit with one-hour doorstep delivery. Big congrats to the cohort, and a huge thank you to our team, partners, and the broader ecosystem for their support. Asset & Resource Management Holding Company (ARM HoldCo)., Techstars, Maelle Gavet, Jumoke Ogundare, Ina Alogwu, Wale Odutola, Maria-Celine Uche Azubuike, Charlotte Bruce, PhD Oluwadunni Fanibe, Daniel Weihrauch,

Rethinking Intra-African Trade Intra-African trade often gets a bad rap, labeled as sluggish and insignificant. Larger economies like Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa distort the averages. Did you know many African countries rely more on intra-African trade than suggested? Take Angola, for instance—over 90% of its exports are oil, mostly to the U.S. Exclude that, and suddenly, intra-African exports become a whopping three-quarters of its total exports. The prevalence of informal cross-border trade is a game-changer, often overlooked in official stats. Studies suggest intra-African trade is underreported by upto 80%. One key challenge is the inability to make instant and affordable payments in local currency. That's where Surge Africa (Techstars'23) comes in, making it instant and much more affordable. Join our waitlist here: https://lnkd.in/dtiBp4p8 because we are launching soon! Oyin Solebo Ina Alogwu Ebrahim Essop Maya Horgan Famodu #intraafricantrade #AfCFTA #EconomicGrowth #SurgeAfrica

Exciting News for the 2023 ARM Labs Techstars Lagos Class! We're thrilled to introduce our stellar lineup of mentors, each a seasoned expert paving the way in #fintech , #FinancialServices, #Logistics, #ECommerce, #BigTech, #VentureCapital, #PrivateEquity, #HealthTech, #Consulting and #Energy Our mentors are poised to ignite innovation and guide the next wave of success for our founders. Thank you all for embodying the Techstars quality of #givefirst