KIGALI, RWANDA – NBA Africa today announced the five prize-winning startup companies from the second edition of NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator, which the league launched last year to support the continent’s technology ecosystem and the next generation of African entrepreneurs.

The five winning companies – 1) Reborn (Morocco), 2) Fitclan (Egypt), 3) Athlon Technology (Egypt), 4) Atsur (Nigeria) and 5) Songdis (Nigeria) – were awarded financial support and the opportunity to join Carnegie Mellon University Africa’s (CMU-Africa) 12-month Business Incubation Program as part of its Innovation Hub, which helps African tech startups transform proof-of-concept prototypes and preliminary market assessments into scalable, market-ready products and services (valued at up to $70,000).  The top three companies also each received $10,000 in Application Programming Interface (API) credits and an immersion day with the OpenAI engineering team at OpenAI’s headquarters.

The 10 finalists, which were selected from more than 700 applicants across 32 African countries, pitched their products to a panel of international industry leaders at a Demo Day today at CMU-Africa in Kigali, Rwanda.  The judges were CMU-Africa Director Dr. Conrad Tucker, OpenAI Africa Lead Emmanuel Lubanzadio, and ServiceNow Africa Vice President & Managing Director Cheick Camara and Head of Strategy & Operations Nikki van Gasse.

The Demo Day was supported by CMU-Africa, ServiceNow and OpenAI.  ALX Ventures once again served as the Official Operating Partner of the program in its second year.  Together, the partners are contributing distinct expertise to strengthen the support for early-stage African startups.

Below are the five winning companies:

• 1^st place: Reborn (Morocco), which offers comprehensive performance indicators that give athletes deep insights into their physical condition and on-field performance, essential for identifying strengths, areas for improvement, and optimizing overall performance, was awarded $25,000 in cash, the opportunity to join CMU-Africa’s Business Incubation Program, $10,000 in API credits, and an exclusive immersion day with the OpenAI engineering team at OpenAI’s headquarters.
• 2^nd place: Fitclan (Egypt), a digital fitness hub that leverages a flexible subscription model for individuals and corporate clients, was awarded $15,000 in cash, the opportunity to join CMU-Africa’s Business Incubation Program, $10,000 in API credits, and an exclusive immersion day with the OpenAI engineering team at OpenAI’s headquarters.
• 3^rd place: Athlon Technology (Egypt), which aims to leverage accessible mobile technology and AI to provide video analysis for amateur and budget-constrained sports teams while addressing a market gap with a user-friendly, hardware-light solution, was awarded $5,000 in cash, the opportunity to join CMU-Africa’s Business Incubation Program, $10,000 in API credits, and an exclusive immersion day with the OpenAI engineering team at OpenAI’s headquarters.
• 4^th place: Atsur (Nigeria), which leverages blockchain technology to promote investment in African art and support artists and art communities, was awarded $2,500 in cash and the opportunity to join CMU-Africa’s Business Incubation Program.
• 5^th place: Songdis (Nigeria), which provides comprehensive digital distribution and services tailored for African independent artists and labels, was awarded $2,500 in cash and the opportunity to join CMU-Africa’s Business Incubation Program.

“We continue to be amazed by the creative, talented and passionate entrepreneurs who participate in NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator,” said NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi.  “The 10 finalists and five prize-winning companies differentiated themselves through their bold and innovative solutions that are shaping the future of sport and entertainment in Africa.  The support they receive from this program will help them scale their products and make a lasting impact on the continent and globally.”