Facebook has announced that they are inviting applications for their third edition of their London accelerator program. The company says that this is now open to startups from Africa for the first time ever.
“The programme is designed for startups from across Europe, Middle East and Africa that are creating an impact at scale using artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality, blockchain and other Facebook technologies,” the company said.
Facebook is looking for startups that use pioneering technology to create a “positive impact in the world,” demonstrate progress in their product, growth and revenue, have a skilled and focused team and are interested in learning how to scale their business through Facebook.
The 3 month programme will launch in November where startups will gain access and knowledge and expertise of Facebook employees. This will involve such activities like practical workshops in products, engineering, growth, impact and mentorship. Facebook says that the startups chosen will benefit to be mentored by product managers, data scientists, marketers, recruitment specialists and engineers from Facebook.
Nicola Mendelsohn, VP of EMEA at Facebook, said: “Innovation is at the heart of Facebook and today we are opening up our London accelerator programme to Africa. The selected start-ups will gain access to experts from across Facebook including those working in AR, blockchain and AI. We hope that through this programme we can help nurture a new cohort of businesses that make a positive impact on the world.”
Product managers, data scientists, marketers, recruitment specialists and engineers from Facebook will offer mentorship to the startups involved in the programme. Facebook Connectivity will support companies that are building solutions to bring faster, cheaper and better connectivity and internet services to people across Africa.
