Air France is taking part in the first edition of the “100 African startups to invest” in selection published today by MyAfricanStartUp. This initiative aims to increase the visibility of start-ups with strong potential in Africa.
In total, 22 African countries* are represented in the 100 start-up selection, including two Portuguese-speaking countries, five French-speaking countries, nine English-speaking countries and four Arabic-speaking countries.
The MyAfricanStartUp initiative forms an integral part of the innovation programme underway in the countries served by the Air France-KLM Group. By identifying the key innovation players in Africa, Air France plans to pursue its Open Innovation approach.
Air France already offers its customers innovative products and services designed by young innovative companies, such as the start-up Interactive Mobility for the Air France Press app. The company also supports these start-ups by giving them the opportunity to open up to new markets and find the necessary funds for their development.
Frank Legré, SVP Africa Air France-KLM stated, “Air France has extensive knowledge of Africa that it has been serving for 80 years, and attaches great importance to the continent’s development, whose dynamism is perfectly illustrated by the boom in its start-ups. Africa is a gold mine in terms of innovation initiatives, and by taking part in this selection, Air France remains in close contact with the young African entrepreneurs who are actively contributing to the emergence of the continent. By supporting MyAfricanStartUp since May 2015, Air France is actively demonstrating its commitment to supporting these young companies”.
Christian Kamayou, founder of MyAfricanStartUp.com, added, “Investors have great difficulties finding African start-ups to invest in. With our selection, we provide investors with a practical tool for deciphering the market and discovering exceptional innovation ideas”.
MyAfricanStartUp.com partners, including Air France, made up the evaluation and selection team for this selection. In order to obtain a selection of 100 start-ups for this 2017 promotion, over an eight-month period fourteen people have been busy analysing 780 start-ups according to a strict and thorough selection process.
*South Africa, Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zambia.