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Kenyan GrowAgric and Aquarech are among nine startups that have been selected for the Katapult Africa Accelerator Programme. Katapult is a Norway-based startup accelerator which has played a key role in advancing African startups and has invested in several companies. It also runs its spin-off subsidiaries, Katapult Ocean and the climate-focused organization, Katapult Climate.

AquaRech is a platform for fish farmers to source quality feed, transition to tech-enabled precision fish farming, find new routes to market, and access credit to fuel farm growth. On the other hand, GrowAgric connects farmers to working capital that allows them to scale, meet buyer demand, and achieve profitability.

Winners of the Katapult Africa Accelerator programme will have access to US$150,000 in funding and other support. The cohort will take part in a three-month program, with sessions focused on growth, impact and investment readiness. They will be taken through rigorous workshops, online meetups, mentor sessions, pitch training and investor presentations, with the aim of making the impact startups ready for scaling in African markets.

Nigeria has two startups, Gricd and Vetsark.  Ghana has Legendary Foods and social finance app Spark. Madagascar is represented by Elucid, Senegal has Afrikamart and Morocco has Sand to Green.

Katapult founder Tharald Nustad, had this to say, “At Katapult we are highly ambitious and we set our vision to nothing short of building a thriving world for all. For this reason, today’s launch represents an important step forward for both Katapult and the impact community. Our decision to launch Katapult in Africa is driven by both a clear recognition of the need for change and an unprecedented opportunity for innovation. With a climate in crisis, it is all too clear that we must accelerate technologies to both overcome climate challenges and ensure food security. We simultaneously believe that it is Africa with its fast-growing business communities and young, tech-savvy population who are best placed to deliver highly scalable, highly impactful solutions.”