JUMO, a South Africa technology startup, has been accepted to the 4th class of the Google Launchpad Accelerator. The Launchpad Accelerator targets growth-stage companies and invites them to their headquarters in Mountain View for work-shops and networking with the Silicon Valley eco-system. A 2-week leadership bootcamp in July is followed by 6 months of mentorship and support designed to help scale businesses. Jumo is the only startup chosen from South Africa to participate in the programme, others include startups in Kenya and Nigeria.
JUMO CEO and Founder Andrew Watkins-Ball said, “We are solving a really important problem and it’s exciting when someone like Google takes notice.”
The Launchpad Accelerator, which opened to African countries (Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria) for the first time this year, selects the best emerging market startups via a rigorous application process. In addition to the bootcamp, $50,000 equity-free funding and support and $100,000 worth of Google products, JUMO will benefit from the opportunity to work closely with Google for 6 months.
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Using behavioural data from mobile usage, JUMO is tackling inequality in relation to access to financial services head on. The company, which launched in 2015, partners with large digital footprint holders such as mobile network operators to deliver a new generation of financial services to customers who need instant access to working capital, savings and other financial services. JUMO is present in all the leading mobile money markets in Sub-Saharan Africa including Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana with operations support in Cape Town. The company is commencing operations in Asia in Q3 of this year.
About Google Launchpad Accelerator
Google Launchpad Accelerator leverages all that Google has to offer, to help participating tech companies reach their true potential. Launchpad Accelerator aims to empower companies poised to make a positive impact by supporting them through mentorship and equity-free support.