Safaricom has announced the 10 startups selected for the second cohort of its Spark Accelerator Program. The program, a partnership between Safaricom, M-PESA Africa, and Sumitomo Corporation, is designed to support and scale early-stage tech companies in Africa.
The selected startups, chosen from a pool of over 200 applicants, are Mediakits.Io, WePlay Arcade, GoPay, FlexPay, QuePay, Leta.AI, Oye, DigiTax, Incourage Insurance Agency Limited, and StockApp. These companies are focused on key sectors such as Embedded Finance, Creative Economy, Future Fintech, and SME Productivity Tools.
The three-month accelerator program will provide the startups with training, mentorship, and funding. Participants will have access to a structured curriculum led by iHUB, as well as engagement with Safaricom and M-PESA Africa’s commercial and technical teams to help them scale their businesses. The program will conclude with an investor Demo Day in February 2026, where the startups will have the opportunity to pitch to venture capital funds and other potential investors.
“As part of our commitment to our purpose of transforming lives, we aim to Nurture, Grow and Scale commercially viable tech start-ups that drive positive societal impact,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom. He added that the program has broadened its scope to include technology and product development support, market access, and access to capital.
The Spark Accelerator aims to address a critical gap in the African tech ecosystem by providing startups with the resources and support needed to grow. The program leverages the corporate strengths of its partners, including Safaricom’s extensive distribution networks and technology assets like the Daraja and M-PESA Africa Open APIs.
“Africa’s innovation and creative ecosystems need financing models that go beyond the current traditional financing sources,” said Ojoma Ochai, Managing Director of iHUB. “Corporate accelerators play a vital role by bringing the resources, infrastructure, and market access of established companies into direct partnership with startups.”
The first cohort of the Spark Accelerator saw several success stories. Twiva, for example, partnered with Safaricom Hook to onboard over 11,000 influencers. Chpter expanded its AI-powered platform to South Africa and Nigeria, and HealthX Africa grew its subscriber base by 40% in six months. These examples highlight the program’s potential to create a launchpad for African innovation.
The second cohort of startups will also receive support from partners such as AWS, which will provide AWS Activate Credits for critical infrastructure and cloud resources. This combination of corporate support, community engagement, and technical resources is intended to accelerate the growth and long-term sustainability of the participating startups.
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