Google Black Founders' Fund Announces 60 Selected Start-ups Across Africa

Google for Start-ups Black Founders' Fund (BFF) for Africa was introduced to invest in Black entrepreneurs. In 2021, Google invested $3Mln in 50 Black-led start-ups in Africa through the fund.

Google has announced that 60 eligible black-founded start-ups across Africa were selected for the second group of Google for Start-ups Black Founders' Fund for Africa. The company is giving out grants of $100,000 to Black founders of early-stage start-ups.

“Selected start-ups will receive $100,000 in non-dilutive cash awards, paired with up to $200,000 in Google Cloud credits per start-up,” Google said in a statement on Tuesday.

This year the number of beneficiaries was raised to 60 - up from 50 in 2021; Google is funding an equal number of male and female-founded start-ups.

"We are now pleased to announce that 60 additional start-ups have been selected as beneficiaries of the Google for Start-ups Black Founders' Fund in Africa 2022! This cohort represents 10 African countries, with Botswana joining the program for the first time," Google stated.

Of the 60 start-ups selected by Google, 23 are Nigerian, the second year in a row that start-ups from that country have dominated the list.

Kenya comes second with 12 recipients and Rwanda is third with six.