Afrigather Chpter, a Kenyan AI-powered social commerce startup, has joined Safaricom’s Spark Accelerator, alongside eight others. Chpter is the primary key startup to hitch the Spark Accelerator, launched to enrich the Spark Enterprise Fund, one other Safaricom funding car solely targeted on backing promising Kenyan startups.
The cohort consists of early-stage startups specializing in monetary inclusion (Chumz, Nobuk), SME instruments (Faidi HR, Churpy, Twiva), healthcare entry (HealthX Africa), content material creation (BlackRhino VR), and agricultural finance (VunaPay).
Co-founded by Tesh Mbaabu in 2021, Chpter’s conversational platform automates gross sales on WhatsApp and Instagram for companies. Chpter’s visibility was amplified after Marketforce—based by Mbaabu and Mesongo Sibuti—introduced its B2B platform RejaReja’s closure in April 2024. On his weblog, Mbaabu colloquially stated that his focus can be on Chpter.
Mbaabu advised TechCabal that whereas Marketforce is a shareholder in Chpter, Chpter’s operations are unbiased of MarketForce.
Safaricom didn’t reveal the accelerator’s fund deal measurement; nonetheless, the telco confirmed to TechCabal that the startups would undergo three months of capability constructing. A part of this programme can be to find out the funding measurement of the accelerator programme.
A spokesperson from the accelerator advised TechCabal in an electronic mail, “For now, there isn’t any cap. We need to be sure that the businesses are well-equipped to succeed and are well-capitalised on the finish of the programme.”
The accelerator didn’t reveal particulars about particular person funding within the chosen cohort, however a tech government with data of the deal advised TechCabal that startups will obtain between $150K and $500K.
The Spark Accelerator will spend money on the startups, primarily in debt and fairness. “We will even take some other instrument deemed applicable,” Safaricom advised TechCabal.
The Spark Aaccelerator, launched in partnership with M-PESA Africa and Sumitomo Company, doesn’t substitute Safaricom’s $1 million Spark Enterprise Fund, which the telco based in 2014. Though the Fund was restructured in July 2023, it’s nonetheless energetic and follows up on corporations it invested in.
Its earliest beneficiaries embrace Sendy, a logistics startup now under administration; agritech startup iProcure, also under administration; buyer expertise platform Ajua; and cellular surveys startup mSurvey.
