Start X 241, an initiative led by Ogooué Labs, an innovation laboratory based in Libreville (Gabon), with the support of the European Union, the French Development Agency, the telecom operator Airtel Gabon, the pan-African bank Cofina, the Embassy of France in Gabon, the French Institute of Gabon, the Bordeaux accelerator Héméra (France), Digitech Africa and the School 241, has been launched for startups in French-speaking Africa. 

“Our ambition is to see the emergence, thanks to this program, of new African champions in the digital domain. So far, successful fundraising startups have come mostly from Anglophone Africa. We want to change the situation by providing logistical, technological and managerial support to these innovative start-ups from French-speaking Africa, ”says Sylvère Boussamba, founder of Ogooué Labs and director of Start X 241.

The acceleration program aims to support 10 companies by providing them with mentoring from seasoned entrepreneurs in the fields of legal, marketing, human resources and finance. They will also benefit throughout this process from access to a large network of partners and experts to boost their activities.

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These selected companies will also be supported in the deployment of their activities across the 11 countries of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) region, which represents a market of nearly 200 million individuals (Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, Chad, Sao Tome and Principe).

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The program is open to small innovative businesses in French-speaking Africa with at least 1 year of activity and which offer a product or service already on the market. A jury of international and pan-African experts will select the 10 startups to benefit from the full program, which will offer them: a distribution network at the level of the 11 ECCAS countries; a sales force in order to execute strategies in each country of marketing, communication and sales; a management team to manage the governance of the distribution network; world-class mentoring for the company and its teams in the field; as well as a unique possibility to multiply its income or turnover within the region, without excepting an opportunity to raise funds from local and international investors.

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award-winning writer