The Spark Accelerator Program unveils the Second Cohort to Drive Innovation and Scale in Africa

Safaricom (NSE: SCOM) has announced the selection of 10 startups as finalists for the second cohort of the Spark Accelerator Program, chosen from a competitive pool of more than 200 applicants.

The selected startups – Mediakits.Io, WePlay Arcade, GoPay, FlexPay, QuePay, Leta.AI, Oye, DigiTax, Incourage Insurance Agency Limited, and StockApp will participate in an intensive three-month program designed to accelerate their growth and set them up for long-term success.

The program combines training, mentorship, funding, and go-to-market support across two tracks:

• iHUB-led Track: A structured curriculum including expert-led workshops, advisory sessions, and mentorship.
• Corporate Engagement Track: Access to Safaricom and M-PESA Africa’s commercial and technical teams, along with distribution networks to fast-track scale and integration.

The selected startups operate in strategic sectors, including Embedded Finance, Creative Economy, Future Fintech, and SME Productivity Tools:  areas aligned with Safaricom’s broader innovation and impact agenda.

“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. We have broadened our scope of support to early-stage startups that fit the criteria, to include technology and product development support, access to market, and access to capital,” said Dr Peter Ndegwa, CEO, Safaricom.

The startups will go through a 3-month acceleration program that will culminate in a high-impact investor Demo Day in February 2026, where the startups will pitch to leading venture capital funds and potential investors and go on to receive nine to twelve months, post-acceleration support.

The Spark Accelerator is a corporate accelerator powered by a strategic partnership between Safaricom, M-PESA Africa, and Sumitomo Corporation, implemented by iHUB, with support from Vodacom, PwC, and AWS.

Africa’s innovation and creative ecosystems need financing models that go beyond the current traditional financing sources. Corporate accelerators play a vital role by bringing the resources, infrastructure, and market access of established companies into direct partnership with startups. This approach strengthens the capacity of ventures to scale and creates new pathways for sustainable growth and resilience across the continent. The commitment of Safaricom, M-PESA Africa, Sumitomo, AWS, and PwC makes this vision possible, and we are proud to work together to shape Africa’s innovation and creative future.” Ojoma Ochai, Managing Director, iHUB and Co-creation HUB.

The first cohort demonstrated the program’s unique ability to equip startups with access to markets, technology support, mentorship, and access to investor networks, positioning them for scale and sustainability.  For instance, Twiva partnered with Safaricom Hook to onboard 11,000+ influencers onto their platform, Chapter expanded its AI-powered platform into South Africa and Nigeria. HealthX Africa grew its subscriber base by 40% in just six months and went live on the M-PESA consumer miniApps, reflecting the rising demand for hybrid healthcare solutions. Chumz went on to reach 300,000+ users by leveraging gamification to influence positive savings behaviour and expanded into Rwanda. BlackRhino’s partnership with the Safaricom Brand team won the Best Emerging Technology in Marketing campaign award at the 2024 Marketing Society of Kenya awards. Safaricom continues to work with Cohort I start-ups on commercial partnership opportunities.

These success stories underscore the tangible outcomes of the Spark Accelerator and its growing role as a launchpad for African innovation with global relevance.

Startups in the second cohort will benefit not only from Safaricom’s technology assets — including Daraja and M-PESA Africa Open APIs — but also from hands-on product development and integration support that can fast-track their ability to build, test, and scale impactful solutions across markets.

Through iHUB’s Pan-African innovation network, startups gain access to a vibrant community of entrepreneurs, experts, and ecosystem enablers, creating opportunities for cross-border collaboration, market entry, and knowledge exchange. Additionally, support from partners such as AWS — through AWS Activate Credits — equips the startups with critical infrastructure and cloud resources to scale efficiently and sustainably. This combination of corporate tools, community support, and technical resources is designed to accelerate each startup’s path to scale and long-term resilience.

Read Also: Career Clinic Sparks Hope And Action In Kakuma