Applications are open until September 30, 2026. The inaugural cohort of 10 African AI startups will be revealed on stage at Moonshot by TechCabal in Lagos on October 28–29, 2026, where the six-week program kicks off, running through December 4.
Lagos, August 31, 2026. Askya Investment Partners, an African venture capital firm, announced the launch of the Askya AI Growth Platform, a pan-African program to scale African artificial intelligence startups into enduring, continental-scale enterprises. In partnership with Magna Collective, the program is free for startups and takes no equity. Companies selected for the cohort will be eligible for up to $200,000 in investment through Askya’s funds. The inaugural cohort is honorary chaired by Tosin Eniolorunda, Founder and Group CEO of Moniepoint.
The Platform was unveiled on stage at Deep Learning Indaba 2026 at Pan-Atlantic University in Lagos. Its inaugural cohort will bring together 10 AI-native, Africa-focused startups, from Pre-Seed to Series A, with a live product and demonstrated customer demand. During the six-week hybrid program, founders will go through masterclasses, one-to-one coaching and company-building support from some of Africa’s best founders and operators – covering technology, product, governance and distribution, alongside access to cloud, compute, customers and talent.
The opportunity is generational. According to the African Development Bank’s report Africa’s AI Productivity Gain, inclusive deployment of AI could add up to $1 trillion to Africa’s GDP by 2035: nearly one-third of the continent’s current output. Digitising in the age of AI, with the world’s fastest-growing digital-native workforce and no legacy systems to unwind, Africa can leapfrog into an AI-enabled economy as it did with mobile money. The continent’s entrepreneurs are already building world-class technology at scale, as demonstrated by the wave of African unicorns from Jumia to Moniepoint. What slows their growth is access to distribution, reliable infrastructure, and
the lessons learned by successful founders and operators. The Askya AI Growth Platform was built to close exactly these gaps.
The Platform launches with founding partners spanning the African AI ecosystem: Deep Learning Indaba, Africa’s largest AI community, where the program was unveiled and which supports pipeline and reach across the continent’s machine learning talent; Big Cabal Media, whose Moonshot by TechCabal is one of Africa’s largest startup events and will host the cohort reveal and kickoff in Lagos, Nigeria. Magna Collective serves as program design and delivery partner. Additional partners across cloud and compute infrastructure, pan-African policy institutions and enterprises will be announced ahead of the cohort reveal in October.
“AI is rapidly becoming a key driver of economic development. Africa can either become a producer of AI technology, capturing the tremendous value it creates, or remain a mere importer, watching its productivity gap with other economies widen even further. Since 2024, Askya has advocated for an ambitious approach to African AI. With the Askya AI Growth Platform, we put our money where our mouth is: backing founders building generational AI companies that address Africa’s biggest needs.
As founder & CEO of Moniepoint, Tosin has shown how to build a generational tech company addressing Africans’ needs, with ambition, relentless commitment, superior execution and authenticity. I’ve had the privilege to support Moniepoint since meeting Tosin in 2020, and it’s now an honour to have him Chair our Platform’s launch and show the way to the next generation of builders.” said Babacar Seck, Founder and Managing Partner, Askya Investment Partners.
“Africans can build solutions for people of the world, and AI is the greatest opportunity yet to prove it. Nigerian and African youth are ready; what this new generation of founders needs is execution support and access to real customers. That is what this platform delivers, and it is why I am proud to chair its first cohort,” said Tosin Eniolorunda, Founder and Group CEO, Moniepoint.
“We open on Africa’s biggest stage in Lagos, then we get to work. Every week that follows is built around one thing: getting founders closer to a signed contract,” said Femi Awoniyi, Co-Founder and CEO, Magna Collective.
More information and applications: www.askyainvestment.com/ai-growth-platform
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About Askya Investment Partners. Askya Investment Partners is an investment firm building a new generation
of technology and artificial intelligence champions from Africa, making what the continent needs while uplifting
its people. Askya partners with the best and boldest entrepreneurs, providing the capital, conviction, and trusted
network they need to build enduring businesses at scale. Askya is led by Founder and Managing Partner Babacar
Seck, former CEO of Digital Africa and founding member of Proparco’s pan-African venture capital program,
alongside a team with a track record of backing leading technology companies, including Moniepoint and Jumia
(NYSE: JMIA). Through the Askya AI Growth Platform, Askya helps the best African AI startups reach
product-market fit and scale their commercial traction. More information: https://www.askyainvestment.com/
About Magna Collective. Magna Collective is an innovation advisory and execution firm that designs and
operates high-impact venture programs, investor readiness initiatives, and capital mobilisation strategies across
Africa. Led by CEO Femi Awoniyi, former program lead for the Google Black Founders Fund in Africa, Magna
brings a proven track record of structuring catalytic funding and unlocking follow-on capital for hundreds of
founders across the continent. By leveraging data-driven evaluation platforms and deep ecosystem intelligence, the
firm bridges the gap between high-potential startups and institutional capital, ensuring resources efficiently reach
the founders best positioned to drive enduring economic impact. More information: www.themagnacollective.com
Press contact.
Askya Investment Partners | [email protected].
Logos, founder photos and a program one-pager are available on request.
