Johannesburg, South Africa, Nov. 4, 2021: ParkUpp is going global and the U.S is the company’s first destination. The parking proptech startup is rebranding to Troob as it expands into creative spaces.

As one of the biggest creative markets in the world, the U.S. is a crucial part of Troob’s plan for rapid growth. Troob will work with real estate owners in New York City who have unused space and help convert them into flexible and affordable creative spaces. Toward that goal, Troob has been accepted into Starta Accelerator’s Fall 2021 Cohort - a 6-month soft landing program in New York, designed to help international startups scale their U.S. market presence and raise capital.

“Venturing into the U.S. market is a great opportunity for us to expand, especially in New York, which is one of the world’s biggest creative hubs. Working with Starta Ventures, which is one of New York City’s Top 10 accelerators, will serve as a tremendous platform to help us achieve our goals in America,” said Palesa Moloi, Co-founder & CEO of ParkUpp and Troob

Program Features and Perks:

• Top-performing start-ups qualify for $200,000 - $1M in investments from Starta Capital Fund II and may get further investment from Starta’s Liqvest platform
• Coaching from industry experts
• Co-working and event space in Manhattan
• Lifetime investor network and support
• Strategy & guidance from Starta partners
• Perks from sponsors and partners (AWS, Hubspot, Microsoft & more)
• Access to and participation in all Starta events and investor summits

“This summer, Starta launched an African track in tandem with their Accelerator program. Starta accepted only 4 startups, less than 7% of applicants: : ParkUpp/Troob, Cofundie, Covibes and CodeLn. These new companies were chosen because they have great potential and are well suited to launch in the U.S market,” said Renat Khairullin, Head of African Track at Starta Accelerator.

For more information, please contact:
Palesa Moloi, ParkUpp/Troob Co-founder and CEO
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Details for Startupbootcamp AfriTech’s global FastTrack Tour for 2019 has been confirmed and the search for top-performing disruptive startups seeking solutions for positive change in Africa is on.

Applications for each event close three days ahead of time – apply HERE.

Wednesday 6 February 2019, Cape Town – Startupbootcamp AfriTech is one of the most sought-after programmes for Africa-focused tech startups. In 2010, the Startupbootcamp programme was founded with a simple goal in mind: to support the world’s best innovators through all stages of growth. This led to the first-ever Africa-focused accelerator of its kind, namely Startupbootcamp AfriTech (SBC AfriTech), to launch in Cape Town in 2017.

In SBC AfriTech’s first two years, the twenty companies in the portfolio signed 52 pilots and commercial agreements with large corporations. In 2018, the programme was named the Top Accelerator on the continent by the Global Startup Awards.

Now, in its third consecutive year, SBC AfriTech is calling on high-growth startups in the tech industry to apply to a prestigious 3-month programme aimed at helping companies scale in the global market.

“Through Startupbootcamp’s expansion to numerous countries in Europe, Asia and America, and now Africa, it’s clear that the accelerator movement has caught on quickly, showing a demand for ongoing support in a globally growing entrepreneurial community,” says Startupbootcamp Founder and CEO, Philip Kiracofe.

“The SBC AfriTech FastTrack Tour for 2019 is an open canvas for forward-thinking startups to initiate a shift in traditional thinking while networking with hundreds of other innovative, like-minded people wanting to set new benchmarks in the African tech industry”, adds Nsovo Nkatingi, AfriTech Programme Director.

“Attending a FastTrack is useful for startups wishing to apply to the SBC AfriTech programme,” states Velani Mboweni, CEO of SBC AfriTech 2018 alumnus Lüla, “At the Cape Town FastTrack we engaged with corporate sponsors to the programme Old Mutual and Nedbank and engaged with them right from the get-go, which really gave us a leg-up in our SBC journey.”

Lula is a mobility-as-a-service startup and over the course of the 3 months spent at the SBC AfriTech accelerator, Lula completed 4 pilots in Cape Town with some of the biggest corporations in South Africa and is now raising its first formal investment round.

The SBC AfriTech FastTrack Tour for 2019 will cover 19 events in 14 countries.

Attending a FastTrack will boost your chances to joining SBC AfriTech’s highly-acclaimed and intensive three-month programme, by 20 percent. FastTracks are informal events hosted all over the world and the aim is for the SBC team, mentors and sponsors to have the opportunity to meet the most suitable early-stage companies interested in joining the 2019 programme. For each FastTrack, the top ten startups to apply will receive instant feedback from a panel of industry mentors, be able to network with the SBC investment team and learn more about the SBC AfriTech.

The accelerator is anchored and endorsed by leading corporate sponsors Old Mutual, RCS, BNP Paribas Personal Finance, Nedbank and PwC that will support and grow the program and selected startups. Leaders from these corporates will be present at the FastTrack events to engage and mentor.

Interested startups can click here to find the FastTrack nearest them and submit your application.

Applications to the FastTracks is currently open and applications to join the final accelerator will open on 20 February 2019.

To apply to the FastTrack nearest you, please visit http://bit.ly/ftapply19

FastTrack Tour Dates for 2019:

• 19 February 2019 Johannesburg
• 23 February 2019 Nairobi
• 25 February 2019 Dar es Salaam
• 18 March 2019 Kigali
• 20 March 2019 Kampala
• 22 March 2019 Nairobi
• 8 April 2019 Accra
• 10 April 2019 Dakar
• 25 April 2019 Casablanca
• 27 April 2019 Lagos
• 28 April 2019 Lagos
• 30 April 2019 Abidjan
• 30 April 2019 Durban
• 3-4 May 2019 Johannesburg (Hackathon)
• 7 May 2019 Gaborone
• 9 May 2019 Harare
• 14 May 2019 Zurich
• 17 May 2019 Paris (VivaTech)

Beyond the FastTracks

Startupbootcamp AfriTech sees the potential of African startups solving real-world problems with disruptive technology. As part of a global family of industry-focused accelerators, the team believes in the power of Africa. In 2018, 20 percent of the number of applications received across the Startupbootcamp global family of accelerators came from African-based startups. Over the past seven years, the United States has been the leader with the highest number of funding applications submitted, followed by India, United Kingdom, Nigeria, South Africa, Italy and Mexico.

“Another of the aims of SBC is to support gender- and ethnically diverse teams at any stage in their growth”, says Zachariah George, CIO and Co-Founder of SBC AfriTech, “In 2018, 30 percent of the teams who went through the programmes were led by female founders – a 7 percent increase from 2017. Additionally, SBC AfriTech is the only accelerator of its kind to be led by a powerhouse of females, seasoned in startup coaching – Nsovo Nkatingi.”

SBC AfriTech is focused on high-growth startups in Big Data, Dashboard & Predictive Analysis, Process Automation & Simulation, Machine Learning, Content Aggregation & Knowledge Management, Digital Customer Journey, HealthTech, Sensors, Health Data Analytics, IOT & Asset Tracking, Distributed Ledgers, Digital Identity Management & Authentication, FinTech for Financial Management & Financial Inclusion, P2P and Sharing Economy, On-Demand Pricing, Usage-Based Solutions, Smart Mobility & Open Transportation Networks, RetailTech, Augmented Reality, Computer Vision and Sensors.

“The greatest highlight of attending SBC AfriTech in 2018, was just having that cushioning through mentorship and access to an ecosystem that we would normally not get,” states Kamogelo Kekana, co-Founder and COO of Akiba Digital, SBC Alumnus 2018, “For us, SBC has tremendously accelerated our business. We’ve forged partnerships with corporates that wouldn’t previously have taken us seriously – so it’s given us significant credibility.”

Global sponsors include Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services, and Cisco, with service partners The Loudhailer, Brevity Law, Cloudworx, the Inner City Ideas Cartel and VC4A.

For more information about SBC AfriTech, visit www.startupbootcamp.org/accelerator/afritech and follow @SBCAfriTech on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

or more information about Startupbootcamp, visit www.startupbootcamp.org and follow @Sbootcamp on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, flickr and Instagram.

-- ENDS --

For more information on Startupbootcamp AfriTech or this release, please contact:

Mika Stanvliet | 081 534 6237 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Innovator Trust, an enterprise development organisation, and the Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative (CiTi), Africa’s oldest incubator, are calling on Cape Town-based growth-stage ICT entrepreneurs to join the intensive 2-year enterprise development programme.

The ICT sector has gone from strength to strength and is one of the fastest-growing industries on the African continent. Yet African entrepreneurs are still finding it a difficult business landscape to navigate. That is why The Innovator Trust and CiTi, through exposure, training and mentorship, now aim to equip entrepreneurs and businesses in the sector with tools that will keep them on track, assist them to achieve their goals and create tech leaders of the future.

ICT entrepreneurs in need of mentorship, skills development and business support who have been operating for more than 2 years and are fiercely committed to growing their business, can now apply to the prestigious 2-year Innovator Trust programme, co-developed and run by CiTi at the Woodstock Bandwidth Barn and remotely in Cape Town.

Applications close on 22 February and the selected candidates will be announced on 4 March. 

The Innovator Trust programme aims to support the: increase annual turnover, equip businesses with the necessary accreditation to remove red tape, as well as increase profitability and number of employees.

Get ready to move the dial on your business.

Celebrating its 20th year of supporting entrepreneurs, CiTi currently runs a number of incubation programmes from idea to growth stage. After a very successful first cohort of the programme, completed in 2018, CiTi confirmed a second collaboration with the Innovator Trust to support further Cape Town businesses over the next two years. Applicants need to be in “ICT”, but this has included a broad range of focusses in the past, from IT recruitment, network security to cabling service provider and software solutions. The programme, designed by CiTi and Innovator Trust, is not to be taken lightly. Monthly training, mentorship sessions with industry experts, and a strong focus on technical improvements means a substantial time and focus commitment by the entrepreneur. But this intensive design enables significant business progression over the two years. 

“Once the entrepreneurs who take part in our Enterprise Development programmes become more established, they turn their focus to growth. This accelerator is especially for entrepreneurs who’ve created businesses with high-growth potential and provides them with the skills to scale at speed and responsibly,” says Tashline Jooste, CEO of the Innovator Trust.

Cape Town was recently confirmed as the Tech Hub of Africa, by an Endeavor Insight Report commissioned by CiTi and partners, presenting growing opportunities for those businesses serious about growth, and with the right support.

“I believe strongly that ICT entrepreneurs are going to be critical to South Africa’s economic growth, which is why we need to focus on equipping these businesses with the skills they need to grow, create jobs and stimulate our economy,” adds Jooste.

In order to be considered for the programme, prospective applicants must meet the following criteria:

A company defined in South Africa as an SMME, QSE or EME;

Must be operational and trading for two or more years;

The business should be at least 51% black-owned;

A minimum Level 1 – 4 BBBEE status according to the DTI or ICT Codes;

The business must be a registered company with key focus in ICT and be based in Cape Town and surrounding areas.

In addition, applicants will need to supply copies of their company registration, company profile, and annual financial statements along with their BEE certificate and IDs with their applications.

“We had a fantastic experience on the Innovator Trust programme, perhaps most beneficial was the advice and mentorship on our financial management, up-skilling of our team, and establishing a 3-year budget and growth plan for the business. Our advice to entrepreneurs considering the course is “JUST DO IT!!!” The skills and knowledge you gain are invaluable and put us on a serious growth trajectory.” states Jennifer Classen, Founder of Ngaphaya Y2K10, and Participant in the 2015 – 2018 Innovator Trust programme.

Ready to grow your business? Learn more about the programme and submit your application HERE.

Startupbootcamp AfriTech (SBC AfriTech) was named the Winner of the Top Accelerator Award by the first annual Southern Africa Startup Awards, in partnership with the Global Startup Awards.

Following a rigorous process of nominations, public voting and adjudication, on Thursday 22 November 2018 at the regional Grand Finale of Southern Africa Startup Awards, 15 winners in 15 categories, from 14 participating SADC countries were announced, and SBC AfriTech walked away with the title of Top Accelerator. The award was received by Nsovo Nkatingi, Programme Manager for SBC AfriTech and the only female to lead an accelerator of this scope. 

“Startupbootcamp AfriTech is truly honoured to have received this award,” states Nsovo Nkatingi, Programme Manager for SBC AfriTech, “And we are even more privileged to be backed by Nedbank, Old Mutual, PwC, RCS and BNP Paribas Personal Finance, these are the partnerships that help us validate the impact we have in Africa’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.”

The Southern Africa Startup Awards is a circuit of the world renowned Global Startup Awards, which provides an annual spotlight on web/tech startups in regions across the globe with focus on startups around 5 years old, highlighting up-and-coming and established technology talent globally.Prior to the Grand Finale, more than 3000 nominees went through public voting and adjudication in their home countries to win the national round. The winners were then further judged and ranked by an esteemed panel of international judges, whose decision was eventually combined with individual public votes from across the globe for the finalists to win at the regional Grand Finale of the 2018 Southern Africa Startup Awards.

“The tech ecosystem in Africa is expanding rapidly and there are many new entrants - both local and international - that are providing amazing support to local startups. This means that all the accelerator programmes must keep raising their game,” states Philip Kiracofe, co-founder and CEO of SBC AfriTech, “We are humbled to have received this award and are honoured to proudly represent the African continent at the Global Startup Awards competition. The recognition for SBC AfriTech gives us yet another platform through which to showcase the disruptive startups in our cohort, and the innovative corporate sponsors who are powering them.”

SBC AfriTech is now officially the leading tech accelerator on the African continent and is the Africa-leg of a global family of industry-focused accelerators. The AfriTech accelerator is focused on high-growth startups in blockchain, connected devices, payment solutions, capital markets and asset management, integrated supply chain, e-commerce, FinTech, RetailTech, InsurTech, alternative financing, identity management, digital connectivity, data and behavioural analytics and enabling technologies.

Selected winners of the National Awards in each Region, such as Africa, will then participate in the Global Startup Awards the following year. Six of the categories announced at the Southern Africa Startup Awards, including Best Startup Accelerator/Incubator, which SBC AfriTech won, will now be represented at the Global Startup Awards next year. This means they will compete with the winners of 6 other regions for the global accolade to be announced in 2019. This ceremony will be held in China with the venue and date still to be confirmed.

“Innovation 'For Africans, By Africans' is baked into the DNA of SBC AfriTech and we are passionately devoted to accelerating every aspect of the ecosystem - startups, corporates, young digital talent, our partner network, and of course the SBC AfriTech team. We are able to leverage a global support network that includes 680 startup alumni, hundreds of corporate sponsors, and thousands of mentors to fulfil our core mission to scout, skill, and scale the best innovators on the continent. We work tirelessly every day to embrace this ethos and we are ecstatic to be recognized with this award. Naturally, we are excited to look forward to the Global Startup Awards competition, but regardless of what happens there, our most important focus will continue to be the local and regional ecosystem,” concludes Kiracofe.  

For more information on Startupbootcamp AfriTech or this press release, please contact:

Mika Stanvliet | 081 534 6237 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

About Startupbootcamp AfriTech:

In 2017 the global Startupbootcamp network launched the first-ever Africa-based SBC programme in Cape Town.SBC AfriTech is a leading accelerator focused on high-growth startups in blockchain, connected devices, payment solutions, capital markets and asset management, integrated supply chain, e-commerce, FinTech, RetailTech, InsurTech, alternative financing, identity management, digital connectivity, data and behavioural analytics and enabling technologies.

The accelerator is anchored by leading corporate sponsors Old Mutual, RCS, BNP Paribas Personal Finance, Nedbank, and PwC that will support and grow the program and selected startups. Global sponsors include Amazon Web Services, and Cisco.

The programme is also supported by several service partners including: Cloudworx, VC4A, Inner City Ideas Cartel, Brevity Law and The Loudhailer.

For more information visit: https://www.startupbootcamp.org/accelerator/afritech/ 

About SASAwards:

Southern Africa Startup Awards is a circuit of the world renowned Global Startup Awards, which provides an annual spotlight on web/tech startups in regions across the globe with focus on startups around 5 years old, highlighting up-and-coming and established technology talent globally. Entries are judged by an esteemed panel of judges, all leaders in the respective fields, as well as by public vote. Global Startup Awards is the largest independent startup-ecosystem competition started in the Nordics in 2012, covering more than 45 countries in 7 regions.Since 2012, Global Startup Awards has grown to include South East Asia, Central Europe, SAARC Region (South Asia), and now East Asia, Baltics and Southern Africa which launched in 2018.

For more information about the awards please visit: www.southernafricastartupawards.com

Startupbootcamp AfriTech empowers the top innovative African tech startups, linking them to the fastest-moving corporates on the continent.

Cape Town, 12 July 2018 – Startupbootcamp (SBC) AfriTech today announced the Top 10 African Innovators selected to participate in the globally renowned, multi-corporate backed accelerator programme for 2018. Post an intensive 3-month global scouting tour, across 15 countries, and inclusive of 19 FastTrack events and 220 face-to-face startup engagements, the SBC AfriTech team received 1,004 applications from 73 countries in total, attracting double the applications from its inaugural launch in 2017. The applications were shortlisted to the top 22 startup teams that were flown down to pitch their businesses over 2-days to some of the most progressive leaders in the innovation space in Africa, including corporate sponsors, mentors and investors.

The SBC AfriTech programme (previously SBC Africa) ended on a record high in 2017 with 32 corporate agreements in pilots and proof-of-concepts signed by close of the accelerator. “Our inaugural year was big, it was bold,” comments Zachariah George, co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of SBC AfriTech, “Our phenomenal success of last year has made us the only truly global accelerator for tech ventures in partnership with dynamic corporates on the African continent – we are accelerating the next wave of innovation in Africa.”

The top 10 African Innovators selected are:

Akiba Digital, South Africa: A financial savings platform and personal savings coach that leverages A.I., machine learning and gamification to democratize wealth in Africa.

Bankly Technologies, Nigeria: A goal-based savings product that digitizes cash and enables in-country, peer-to-peer transfer services through the use of vouchers available nationwide.

Brandbook Analytics, South Africa: A mobile application providing users free gift-card coupons for completed purchases with the ability to harvest vast amounts of consumer data and improved forecasting and analytics.

CredPal, Nigeria: An innovative solution using deep data that provides individuals with instant access to credit at the point of checkout for various online and offline merchants.

Digitech Group, Ivory Coast: Provides incumbent insurance companies an omni-channel and cloud-based digital platform to sell insurance products through mobile and web.

Inclusive Financial Technologies, Ghana: Inclusive FT’s API helps digital financial services reach the most remote customers across Africa by enabling them to onboard, verify and monitor them via digital channels.

Kudimoney Bank, Nigeria: A no-charge, full-service, online-only bank making banking services more affordable and more accessible by offering an interest-earning spending account with zero charges, a savings account with above-average interest rates and access to low interest instant loans.

Lüla, South Africa: A mobility-as-a-service platform that connects stakeholders to improve mobility by providing transport that is convenient, accessible and safe and enabling operators, cities and passengers to have easy access and understanding of transport.

MPost, Kenya: A patented solution providing legally recognized physical addresses for the 95% of the African population that do not have a postal address.

Prospa, South Africa: A micro-savings solution for low-income earning South Africans, allowing users to purchase savings vouchers at traders that entitle the user to a set amount of savings which are deposited into a mobi-savings account.

The 10 selected tech startups have a month to ready themselves for the 3-month accelerator that will kick off on August 13th in Cape Town and culminate with the Demo Day on November 8th when they will pitch to the world.

To the Top 10, Philip Kiracofe says: “You are here because your solution is market-ready and the sponsors want to work with you starting from today. The next 3 months are going to be absolutely exhilarating. We are going to be here side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder, pushing you, cajoling you, encouraging you, nurturing you, mentoring you and helping you achieve 12 – 18 months’ worth of growth in a 3-month span. On Demo Day you’re not going to believe that just 3 months ago you were standing where you are today. Congratulations and good luck.”

SBC AfriTech is anchored and endorsed by heavyweight corporate sponsors RCS, BNP Paribas Personal Finance, Old Mutual, Nedbank and PwC. The programme also has local service partners Brevity Law, Cloudworx, Inner City Ideas Cartel, and The Loudhailer and is globally supported by Cisco and Amazon Web Services.