Google Picks 4 Nigerian Startups From 2,600 Applicants

When Google opened applications for its 10th Accelerator Africa cohort, 2,600 startups threw their hats in the ring. Only 15 made the cut, and four of them are from Nigeria.

Bani, MasteryHive AI, Regxta, and Termii represent the best of what African innovation looks like right now. Each company is tackling a different piece of the financial access puzzle using artificial intelligence.

Bani is building tech that eliminates the frustrating payment delays African businesses face when working with international partners. MasteryHive AI focuses on catching fraud and cleaning up financial records automatically, work that currently takes humans hours to complete.

Regxta takes a different approach to an old problem: how do you give loans to people without traditional credit scores? They combine alternative data with a hybrid model that brings banking to microbusinesses that have been shut out. Termii ensures that critical financial messages from banks actually reach customers reliably.

The three-month program runs from April 13 to June 19, giving all 15 selected startups access to Google's technical experts, AI workshops, and a global network of mentors. That kind of support often makes the difference between a good idea and a scalable solution.

Folarin Aiyegbusi, who heads Google's Startup Ecosystem for Sub-Saharan Africa, sees these founders as part of something bigger. African startups are driving economic growth and social change through technology, he explains, and Google's job is to give them the infrastructure and connections they need to grow.

The Ripple Effect

The numbers tell a powerful story about what happens when tech talent gets the right support. Since 2018, Google's Accelerator Africa has backed 106 startups from 17 countries.

Those companies have raised over $263 million in funding and created more than 2,800 jobs. That's not just startup success, it's families supported, communities strengthened, and proof that African innovation can compete globally.

The other 11 selected startups come from Angola, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Tanzania. Together, they're working on everything from agriculture to healthcare to transportation.

What unites all 15 companies is their use of AI to solve specific, urgent problems in their home countries. These aren't flashy apps chasing trends, they're practical tools addressing real gaps in essential services.

For the four Nigerian startups, the next three months could change everything about their trajectory and their impact.