Askya AI Growth Platform · Cohort 2026

Meet the first cohort.

Eleven African AI startups, selected from 1,250 applications and revealed on stage at Moonshot by TechCabal in Lagos. The platform runs until December 18.

1,250Applications received
11Startups selected
Dec 18Closing showcase
Revealed at Moonshot by TechCabal, Lagos. See the cohort

Cohort 2026

Eleven companies. One mission.
AI that solves Africa’s most pressing needs, at scale.

Selected from 1,250 applications across the continent.

PaletePalete ChipMangoChipMango TOLBITOLBI IntronIntron Lelapa AILelapa AI Hasab AIHasab AI Pareto LabsPareto Labs PowerLabsPowerLabs Zeeh AfricaZeeh Africa CybervergentCybervergent PewbeamPewbeam

Chair, inaugural cohort

Tosin Eniolorunda
“Africans can build solutions for people of the world, and AI is the greatest opportunity yet to prove it. What this new generation of founders needs is execution support and access to real customers. That is what this platform delivers.”

Tosin Eniolorunda

Founder and Group CEO, Moniepoint

The platform

What the selected startups get.

Eight weeks, from October 26 to December 18. Free for the eleven startups selected, with no equity and no fees.

Learn

Coached by $100M+ builders

Two masterclasses a week plus a weekly coaching clinic, led by founders and operators who have built and scaled $100M+ revenue companies across Africa and the diaspora.

Sell

Positioning, pricing and distribution

Working sessions on how to position, price and distribute an AI product, and build a growth engine that scales.

Build

Governance & technology foundations

The first weeks focus on the foundations that make a company scalable: governance, technical architecture and operating discipline.

Grow

Investment up to $500,000

We take zero equity to join. Cohort startups may then receive an equity investment of up to $500,000 from Askya, with its full support.

The road so far

Key dates

Eight weeks of masterclasses, coaching and corporate introductions, through to the closing showcase.

Applications closed

1,250 received

Kickoff

Eight weeks begin

Public reveal

Moonshot by TechCabal, Lagos

Eight weeks under way

Masterclasses, coaching, corporate introductions

Closing showcase

End of the platform

Next call

Announced to our list first

Our ecosystem

Built with the ecosystem.

Askya Investment Partners
Askya Investment PartnersFounder and organizer of the platform. A seed-stage venture capital firm backing African technology and AI companies.
Magna Collective
Magna CollectiveCo-designs and co-operates the six-week curriculum, coaching programme and corporate sessions.
Big Cabal Media
Big Cabal MediaHosts the public cohort reveal at Moonshot by TechCabal in Lagos and carries the platform across its editorial network.
Deep Learning Indaba
Deep Learning IndabaAfrica’s largest machine learning community. Extends the platform’s reach across the continent’s AI research and engineering talent.
Africa Deep Tech Community
Africa Deep Tech CommunityConnects the platform to founders building at the frontier of deep tech across African markets.
3MTT and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy
3MTT · Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital EconomyNigeria’s national technical talent programme. Opens access to a trained engineering pipeline and to public-sector stakeholders.

Be part of what’s next

Be first to know what comes next.

  • The cohort, announcedWho they are and what they are building, straight from Lagos.
  • Askya news and thinkingInvestments, partnerships, and our take on African AI.
  • First access to the next callOur list hears before applications reopen publicly.

We use your details only to send Askya AI Growth Platform updates. Unsubscribe at any time.

Questions

Questions we are asked.

How were the eleven selected?

From 1,250 applications, reviewed one by one. Every applicant received an answer.

Will applications reopen?

Yes. The next call will be announced to our list first. Join above to hear about it before it goes public.

Can I still meet the team?

Yes. We are reachable by email all year, and present at the ecosystem events we take part in.

Do you take equity?

No. Zero equity, zero warrants, zero fees. The platform is free for selected startups.

More questions? Read the full questions and answers.

Follow the first cohort.

Eight weeks of masterclasses, coaching and corporate introductions, through to the closing showcase on December 18. Join our list to follow it, and to hear first when the next call opens.

Be part of what’s next

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