MAN Impact Accelerator has shortlisted two African startups out of the eight selected for its 2019/20 cohort. The startups are Zembo from Uganda and Arone from Nigeria. The startups were selected from over 300 applications from 40 countries across Europe, Africa, and Brazil.
The MAN Impact Accelerator supports startups in mobility transport and logistics and accelerates their innovations. These startups are brought together to tackle social and environmental challenges in the transport and logistics sector. The accelerator gives them access to mentors from the likes of MAN Truck & Bus, Yunus Social Business, Amazon, and Uber.
See Also: Pretoria-based TechTribe Accelerator Scouts for 100 Startups in SADC
Zembo produces solar-charged electric motorcycles for Boda-boda riders in Uganda. They assemble and lease the solar-powered motorcycles on a pay-as-you-go model for riders to own after two years. Solar charging stations provide cleaner energy to recharge batteries. Zembo’s electric motorcycles are relatively cheaper to run when compared to the typical boda-bodas that run on fuel.
Arone, the Nigerian healthcare delivery startup uses automated drones to deliver medical supplies to areas that lack basic amenities. Arone is building aerial logistics infrastructure for healthcare across Nigeria. It has Avport stations powered by solar energy for charging its drones.
The other startups that were selected for the 2019/20 cohort include;
- Suma swiftly delivers fresh farm commodities. It connects smallholder farmers to customers who desire to buy in bulk and at the same time, assures food production for local and global markets. It takes care of the logistics from order to delivery. There are more than 2000 smallholder farmers already on the platform who receive an average of 37% more income than before.
- EuVo offers door-to-door transportation for the elderly by connecting them with well-trained drivers in Brazil.
- Nina developed an online platform to track, standardize and centralize women harassment cases in Brazil’s urban mobility. It allows women who use public transport to instantly report cases of harassment they witnessed or suffered.
- Koiki offers employment opportunities for socially excluded to conduct last-mile delivery in Spain. Koiki employs vulnerable people such as the disabled to deliver and pick-up parcels in the neighborhood.
- Addressya caters to the population who do not have formal addresses. The mobile app creates an address for users using combined GPS coordinates, available address information and user-generated contents such as landmarks and pictures from the neighborhood.
- XYT is a Europe-based startup that offers last-mile truck delivery services. Clients can rent a delivery solution from XYT’s fleet of electric vehicles at reduced costs. The cars are assembled locally produced in Europe.
The MAN Impact Accelerator will kick off in November 2019. The eight selected startups will pass through Sao Paolo, Lisbon and Johannesburg during the cohort. They will also get access to impact investors.
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