Qualcomm celebrates successful completion of the second year of the Make in Africa Startup Mentorship Program and announces Wireless Reach winner

Qualcomm celebrates successful completion of the second year of the Make in Africa Startup Mentorship Program and announces Wireless Reach winner

December 9, 2024 – Johannesburg, South Africa

Highlights:

The Qualcomm Make in Africa 2024 program supported ten startups from six African nations, addressing challenges in healthcare, agriculture, AI, and industrial sectors.

Nigerian startup, Kitovu, was among this year's finalists. Founded by Nwachinemera Emeka, Kitovu is revolutionizing agriculture with its WareGuard smart warehouse management solution, designed to reduce post-harvest losses and enhance food security for millions of farmers.   

Aurora Health Systems of Kenya was announced as the winner of the 2024 Wireless Reach Social Impact Fund.

Applications for Qualcomm Make in Africa 2025 are now open.

Qualcomm Incorporated today announced the successful completion of the second year of its Make in Africa Startup Mentorship Program, culminating in the Make in Africa Finale 2024. This platform continues to showcase the energy and innovation emerging from the African technology scene, demonstrating Qualcomm's commitment to supporting startups as part of the broader Qualcomm Africa Innovation Platform.

Now in its second year, this program has successfully guided early-stage technology startups by providing mentorship, business coaching, engineering consultation, and IP protection advice. 

This year's Make in Africa finalists, from six African nations, are tackling real-world challenges across healthcare, agriculture, cutting-edge AI and industrial sectors. 

The 2024 cohort includes the following startups (listed in alphabetical order): 

Aurora Health Systems from Kenya provides AI-based cardiovascular healthcare tools

CropScan from Kenya uses solar-powered smart farming IoT devices

Cure Bionics from Tunisia makes smart 3D printed prosthetic devices

DevisionX from Egypt provides AI-based low-code computer vision tools  

Kalio from Cameroon is building AI tools for Agricultural IoT 

Kitovu from Nigeria provides tools and software for smart agricultural warehouse management 

NextAI Studios from Kenya builds AI-based emotion detection into toys for children’s mental healthcare 

RIM Nextgen from Kenya, uses smart tools for monitoring propane consumption  

Sparcx from South Africa uses AI for enhancing radar signal processing 

ViZmerald from Tunisia, is working on AI-based textile industry inspection

Wireless Reach Social Impact Fund Winner

Aurora Health Systems from Kenya was announced the winner of the 2024 Wireless Reach Social Impact Fund. This fund, provided by Qualcomm through its Qualcomm® Wireless Reach™ Initiative, aims to support startups in scaling their societal and market impact. Aurora Health Systems was selected for their innovative wireless, portable ECG device with LTE connectivity. This device assists patients with cardiovascular disease by enabling remote data transmission of ECG data to healthcare providers, even in rural areas. They are the first in East Africa to train ECG AI models on locally sourced data, resulting in more accurate algorithms and improved AI-powered diagnostics. Additionally, all finalists will receive stipends to further fuel their growth and help protect their intellectual property.  

Highlighting the L2Pro Africa IP E-Learning Platform 

In an effort to harness Africa's vast potential for innovation and creativity, the L2Pro Africa IP e-learning Platform provides further support to startups across Africa. This free online training program, developed in collaboration with Adams and Adams, Africa's leading IP law firm, is designed to empower startups, SMEs, and researchers across the continent. The platform provides essential knowledge and tools to protect and maximize innovations, addressing the pressing challenge of limited patent activity in Africa. By equipping innovators with the skills needed to safeguard and commercialize their inventions, L2Pro Africa aims to unlock new economic opportunities and foster a thriving ecosystem of innovation.

Launch of Qualcomm Make in Africa Startup Mentorship Program 2025

Building on the success of previous years, Qualcomm is excited to launch the Make in Africa 2025 program. Applications are now open. Details can be found here: https://www.qualcomm.com/company/locations/africa/qualcomm-make-in-africa

“The Make in Africa startups are disrupting traditional industries and tackling socio-economic challenges, crafting innovative solutions with global market reach by using AI, advanced connectivity, and IoT,” said Wassim Chourbaji, SVP & President, Qualcomm MEA & SVP, Government Affairs EMEA,. “This startup mentorship program reflects Qualcomm’s commitment to support promising early-stage deep tech startups, empowering local talents, creating jobs and driving economic growth."

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm relentlessly innovates to deliver intelligent computing everywhere, helping the world tackle some of its most important challenges. Our proven solutions drive transformation across major industries, and our Snapdragon® branded platforms power extraordinary consumer experiences. Building on our nearly 40-year leadership in setting industry standards and creating era-defining technology breakthroughs, we deliver leading edge AI, high-performance, low-power computing, and unrivaled connectivity. Together with our ecosystem partners, we enable next-generation digital transformation to enrich lives, improve businesses, and advance societies. At Qualcomm, we are engineering human progress. 

Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering and research and development functions and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business. Snapdragon and Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Qualcomm patented technologies are licensed by Qualcomm Incorporated.