Safaricom, in collaboration with Sumitomo Corporation and M-PESA Africa, has successfully hosted the inaugural Spark Accelerator Demo Day, marking a major milestone for nine innovative startups.
The event, held at the Michael Joseph Centre, showcased the achievements of the first cohort and provided a platform for these startups to connect with leading venture capital investors.
The Spark Accelerator program, launched last year following the restructuring of Safaricom’s Spark Venture Fund, aims to accelerate early-stage startups in Kenya by providing capacity building, technology support, access to markets, and funding opportunities.
This year’s Demo Day celebrated the progress of nine exceptional startups: Health X Africa, Vunapay, BlackRhino VR, Twiva, Chpter, Churpy, Nobuk Africa, Faidi HR, and Chumz.
Empowering the Next Generation of Startups
Speaking at the event, Michael Mutiga, Safaricom’s Chief Business Development and Strategy Officer, highlighted Kenya’s impressive position as Africa’s leading investment hub.
“Last year, Kenya attracted $638 million in venture capital, accounting for 29% of the continent’s total funding. This reflects the strength of our entrepreneurial ecosystem and the confidence investors have in Kenyan startups,” he said.
The nine startups have demonstrated significant growth throughout the program. Notable achievements include:
- Chumz successfully integrated Daraja APIs for payment processing and onboarded 72,000 new customers.
- Twiva launched a mini-app within the M-PESA consumer app and grew its influencer base from 15,000 to over 26,000 through a partnership with Safaricom Hook.
- BlackRhino VR partnered with Safaricom Hook to execute a marketing campaign across 11 universities, earning the “Best Emerging Technology in Marketing Campaign” award at the 2024 MSK Annual Awards Gala.
- Faidi HR and Churpy are onboarding onto Safaricom’s Enterprise Business Hub as SaaS partners, offering services to over 2 million SMEs.
- Health X Africa is set to launch Afya Daily in April, a health information service providing personalized recommendations on non-communicable diseases and mental health.
In addition to mentorship and market access, each startup received up to $25,000 in AWS credits to strengthen their technology infrastructure.
Applications Open for the Second Cohort
Building on the success of the first cohort, Safaricom, Sumitomo Corporation, and M-PESA Africa have announced the opening of applications for the second phase of the Spark Accelerator Program.
Early-stage startups in technology, fintech, the creative economy, and SME productivity tools are invited to apply between April 1st and May 15th, 2025.
The second cohort will benefit from comprehensive support, including:
- Capacity building and specialized training
- Bespoke product development and technology support
- Access to Safaricom’s extensive market network
- Opportunities to secure funding from venture capital investors
Safaricom CEO, Dr. Peter Ndegwa, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to fostering innovation, saying, “We view technology as a driver of positive change. Through the Spark Accelerator, we are investing in the next generation of innovators while contributing to societal transformation and economic progress.”
Spark Accelerator Demo Day highlighted the remarkable achievements of the participating startups. It also reinforced Safaricom’s commitment to nurturing Kenya’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
With applications now open, more startups have the opportunity to join the program. Safaricom continues to support bold founders and drive technological innovation.
