South African technology startups Loop and Vambo AI are among 15 African companies selected for the 10th cohort of the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa, chosen from nearly 2,600 applications.
The selected companies will receive up to $350,000 in Google Cloud credits and access to a global network of investors, partners and collaborators. The program, running from April 13 to June 19, provides dedicated mentorship from industry experts and hands-on technical workshops focused on AI and machine learning.
Loop focuses on digitizing mobility and payments, enabling individuals, businesses and communities to access more seamless transport and financial services. Vambo AI is building multilingual AI infrastructure to support translation, speech and generative AI capabilities across African languages — an area widely seen as underdeveloped in global AI systems.
“African languages remain largely underrepresented in today’s AI systems, limiting access to digital tools and opportunities for millions,” said Chido Dzinotyiwei, CEO of Vambo AI. “At Vambo AI, we are building multilingual AI infrastructure to change that — enabling developers, enterprises and institutions to build for African markets in the local languages spoken daily.”
Folarin Aiyegbusi, head of startup ecosystem at Google Africa, said the accelerator is designed to provide founders with the infrastructure, mentorship and global network needed to scale their solutions. “African start-ups are driving essential economic growth and social development,” he said.
Since its launch in 2018, the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa program has supported 106 startups across 17 countries. Those companies have collectively raised more than $263 million and created more than 2,800 jobs.
Africa’s venture ecosystem raised $3.9 billion in 2025, though Google Africa noted that scaling deep-tech innovation continues to require access to advanced cloud infrastructure, specialized technical support and strategic mentorship.
