Askya Investment Partners is seeking to back Africa’s next generation of artificial intelligence companies through a new six-week growth programme that will bring together 10 promising AI startups, with a minimum investment commitment of $200,000 to at least one participant.
The programme is open to African-founded startups based on the continent that already have a working product, early customers and full-time founders.
Unlike traditional startup accelerators, Askya says the initiative will focus less on preparing founders to raise capital and more on helping them build companies capable of achieving long-term growth and scale.
The investment firm, founded in 2024 by Babacar Seck, described its ambition as supporting the development of what it calls Africa’s future “tech Dangotes” — large, enduring technology companies capable of lasting for decades.
Building Beyond the Pitch Deck
The six-week programme will provide participating founders with coaching from experienced entrepreneurs, operators and technology professionals.
Participants will receive training in areas including go-to-market strategy, distribution, sales, pricing, governance and technology development.
According to Askya, many African startups struggle to scale not because they lack demand for their products, but because of weaknesses in areas such as company governance, talent management and scalable technology infrastructure.
The programme will therefore focus on strengthening those foundations.
“We are not trying to do a quick invest and flip,” Seck said, stressing that the goal is to support businesses capable of becoming generational companies.
He argued that building a successful and enduring company often requires a long-term commitment of seven, 10 or even 15 years.
$200,000 Investment Commitment
Askya has committed to investing at least $200,000 in one of the participating startups, although the firm said it could potentially invest in more than one company.
The investment terms will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Importantly, the 10 selected startups will not be required to pay to participate or surrender equity simply to join the programme.
The investment is expected to come from Askya’s fund.
Beyond funding, the participating startups will gain access to experienced founders and operators, as well as potential corporate partners and customers.
Connecting Startups to Africa’s AI Ecosystem
Askya also plans to connect participating startups with major players across Africa’s technology ecosystem.
The firm is partnering with Deep Learning Indaba, a major community of AI professionals, researchers and technology builders across the continent.
Askya also plans to bring companies from sectors such as telecommunications, banking and technology into the programme.
These organisations are expected to present real business challenges and opportunities that participating startups could potentially address with AI-powered solutions.
According to Seck, closer connections between startups, corporations, governments, universities and infrastructure providers could help address one of Africa’s biggest technology challenges: the difficulty of scaling promising companies.
What Askya Is Looking For
Eligible startups must be African-founded and based on the continent.
They must also have:
- A working product
- Early customers
- Full-time founders
- Evidence of execution
- A business operating between the early stage and pre-Series A stage
Askya said it will prioritise companies solving significant real-world problems rather than building products without clear demand.
The firm will also assess whether the startup offers a meaningful advantage over existing alternatives and whether the founding team has the skills and experience required to build and scale the product.
However, Seck said commitment to solving the problem remains one of the most important factors.
AI for Africa’s Real Economy
Askya is particularly interested in startups using artificial intelligence to improve productivity and solve challenges across sectors including energy, healthcare, financial services and economic inclusion.
Seck pointed to the growing potential of AI solutions designed specifically for African markets, including voice technology that enables businesses and governments to communicate with people in local languages.
The firm is also interested in AI applications that improve efficiency in industries with large amounts of structured data.
Examples include technology that helps businesses optimise energy consumption or AI-powered systems that can help reduce fraud and improve operations in areas such as health insurance.
Askya believes Africa has an opportunity to adopt AI while its economies and industries continue to digitise, potentially allowing startups to build solutions tailored to local challenges.
A Long-Term Bet on African AI
The programme represents a broader bet that African startups can become major builders of technology rather than simply consumers of products developed elsewhere.
For Askya, the focus is not just on helping startups raise their next round of funding.
The bigger objective is to help founders build companies with strong foundations, access to customers, experienced mentorship and the capacity to scale across Africa and beyond.
With AI increasingly shaping global productivity and economic competitiveness, Askya is betting that some of Africa’s next major technology companies could emerge from founders building solutions for the continent’s biggest challenges.
What’s Next?
Askya will select 10 African AI startups for the first edition of its six-week growth programme. At least one participating company is guaranteed a minimum $200,000 investment, while all selected founders will receive coaching, access to experienced operators and connections across Africa’s growing AI ecosystem.