Rubi Health from Nigeria and Developers in Vogue from Ghana have been selected for F-Lane accelerator, which is Europe’s first accelerator with a focus on startups by and for women in the tech sector.
The Vodafone Institute selected the two African startups alongside 3 most convincing young companies for F-Lane. The other startups and social ventures are from Ghana and Nigeria. 280 startups from 62 countries applied for a place in the F-Lane accelerator.
A seven-week support program is now waiting for them in Berlin, which includes mentorship, training, networking and financial start-up assistance. The majority of the startups in the past F-Lane rounds had received investments following the programme – in some cases even up to 4.5 million euros.
The accelerator programme will start on 4 October with a seven-week support programme in Berlin. The highlight will be the Demo Day of the five finalists on 21 November 2019 in front of investors and decision-makers from business, media and politics.
Alice Deißner, Director of the Vodafone Institute for Society and Communication: “Prejudices against women in the tech sector are still persistent, and the figures about their disadvantage are alarming.
Programmes like F-Lane are needed to put this issue on the agenda and show that there is a variety of outstanding business models and diverse inspiring start-up teams.”
The two African F-Lane Start-ups 2019 are:
Rubi Health offers psychotherapeutic care in rural hospitals in Nigeria. Their primary target group is (expectant) mothers who are confronted with new anxieties during or after pregnancy and suffer from depression or anxiety. Patients can book therapy hours at affordable prices, which take place via video chat in rooms provided by the hospitals. In this way, therapists can be connected from anywhere and the shortage of medical personnel can be overcome on site. In addition, Rubi Health organizes regular “health camps” where thousands of women can have their mental health examined for the first time.
Developers in Vogue are committed to closing the gender gap in the tech industry. Their focus is on women from Africa, who they reach via their AI-based platform. Developers in Vogue offer training in usually male-dominated technical areas, such as software engineering or programming. The participants are then matched with potential employers through the platform. More than half of the graduates have already accepted job offers from partners such as Microsoft or Vodafone. In addition, Developers in Vogue sees itself primarily as a community of technology-oriented African women who work together to create a better future for all.
Others are:
Together for Her (India)
Safe & the City (UK)
Boost Thyroid (GER)
The F-Lane accelerator is a seven-week acceleration program for high-potential digital impact ventures focusing on female empowerment. It is put into practice by the Vodafone Institute in cooperation with two amazing partners: the Impact Hub Berlin – offering a thrilling space and workplace in the coolest neighbourhood of the German capital –, and the Social Entrepreneurship Akademie – the leading competence centre in the field of education for societal change.
