Cameroon will not be represented in this year’s NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator, as no Cameroonian tech startup made it onto the shortlist of 10 finalists announced for the program’s second edition. The absence is notable given the strong participation of early-stage ventures across the continent and the growing interest in sports-tech innovation within Central Africa.
NBA Africa confirmed that more than 700 applications were received from across the continent, yet this year’s final 10 startups came exclusively from Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa. Despite Cameroon’s thriving entrepreneurial spirit and a rapidly developing tech scene, none of the country’s applicants advanced to the final round.
The finalists
The 2025 finalists selected for the Triple-Double Accelerator are:
• Athlon Technology (Egypt) – AI-powered video analysis tools for amateur sports teams.
• Atsur (Nigeria) – A blockchain-based platform promoting global investment in African art.
• CoLab (South Africa) – A creative industry platform connecting artists, entrepreneurs and professionals.
• Contestify (Nigeria) – A real-time contest management platform offering automated scoring and payouts.
• Fitclan (Egypt) – A digital fitness ecosystem offering flexible subscriptions for individuals and corporate clients.
• Novate (Morocco) – An immersive VR football experience offering multi-angle viewing and live stats.
• ProPath Sports (Kenya) – A data-driven athlete discovery and development system.
• Reborn (Morocco) – Athlete performance analytics providing deep insight into physical readiness and on-field optimization.
• Safia Health (Kenya) – A holistic wellness platform integrating training, recovery and mental well-being data.
• SongDis (Nigeria) – A digital distribution service tailored to independent African artists and labels.
These startups now advance to the Demo Day stage, scheduled for Dec. 5 at Carnegie Mellon University Africa (CMU-Africa) in Kigali, Rwanda. A panel of international industry leaders will evaluate the companies before selecting five winners who will receive financial support and enrollment in CMU-Africa’s 12-month Business Incubation Program.
Reflecting on this year’s selection, NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi praised the quality of submissions and emphasized the continent’s growing creative and technological momentum.
“The quality of this year’s applications reflects the incredible talent and creativity among Africa’s young entrepreneurs as well as the important role that the sport and creative industries are playing in the continent’s development,” Akamanzi said.
“These startups represent the bold spirit of innovation rising across the continent – where creativity meets purpose, and ideas have the power to scale beyond borders.”
Her remarks underscore the program’s objective: to nurture ideas that can transform the sports, entertainment and creative ecosystems across Africa.
Cameroon’s absence: A gap, but also an opportunity
While Cameroon missed out on representation this year, industry watchers note that the country is building the kind of innovation pipeline that could yield future finalists. The challenge, they say, is scaling early-stage startups to the level required by a global accelerator backed by NBA Africa, CMU-Africa, ServiceNow and ALX Ventures.
The hope remains that the visibility of the Triple-Double Accelerator — and Rwanda’s prominent hosting of this year’s Demo Day — will inspire more Cameroonian founders to apply next year with stronger prototypes, market validation and scalable business models.
Last year’s winners — Festival Coins (Nigeria), Salubata (Nigeria), HustleSasa (Kenya) and UBR VR (Egypt) — each gained funding and mentorship that accelerated their growth.
The precedent suggests that the 2025 finalists will benefit significantly from the platform and visibility the program offers.
For Cameroon, the absence from this year’s list stands as both a disappointment and a motivator — a sign that while the nation’s entrepreneurial talent is rising, stronger participation and more competitive solutions will be needed to break into future cohorts of the NBA’s flagship innovation program.
