A student and alumni-lead initiative at Yale University with a mission to share stories of innovation from the African Startup Ecosystem
The Yale Africa Startup Review (YASR) has published the inaugural #YASR30 list honoring 30 startups, 30 stories, 15 countries and 60 founders ushering in a new wave of innovation on the Continent. These African entrepreneurs are building the future of Africa.
The Yale Africa Startup Review is a Yale alumni and student-led initiative on a mission to share stories of ingenuity and innovation to attract interested stakeholders to the African startup ecosystem. The annual publication seeks to feature startups and founders redefining African business with innovation and entrepreneurship.
In this inaugural edition, startups featured cover a variety of verticals and countries such as healthtech, i.e. Chefaa in Egypt and APEX Medical Labs in Malawi, artificial intelligence and data analytics, i.e. A.I.M.E.S Solutions in Morocco and Legal Fundi in South Africa, and edtech, i.e. Developers in Vogue in Ghana and Akiddie in Nigeria.
By the numbers, in 120 days, YASR reached out to over 350 stakeholders in the African startup ecosystem and received more than 200 startup nominations that represent 15 verticals across 30+ African nations.
The editorial team and Co-Founders, Kwame Amoako, Lukas Bosch, Lina Kaycem, Samuel Kitara, Sharon Mwale, and Caroline van der Merwe conducted preliminary due diligence and selected 50 semi-finalists to be reviewed by a panel of independent judges. The #YASR30 finalists were selected by a panel of esteemed judges that included leading African venture capitalists from Lateral Capital, Outlierz Ventures, Orange Ventures and Teranga Capital.
YASR has also announced six partnerships that include prizes to offer additional benefits for the #YASR30 Finalists. These partners include B&C International, Bubble, Buildcamp, Ingressive For Good, Next.Legal, StartPack, and the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale. More partnerships are expected.
The Review is unique because of: (1) an intentional method to ensure representation across the Continent; (2) a grassroots-driven sourcing approach that connects with stakeholders active in the African startup ecosystem; and, (3) an emphasis on supporting YASR startups with resources and network access to build, develop and grow their business.
