Open Startup (OST) has launched Science Road, an initiative focused on supporting deep-tech and research-led ventures in Africa move from development to market readiness and investment.
Marking its 10-year anniversary since its founding in Tunisia in 2016, OST said it is entering a new phase focused on ventures in health, climate, artificial intelligence and related technologies.
The organisation said the initiative builds on work supporting more than 3,000 founders and over 1,000 start-ups across more than 20 African countries.
OST said Science Road responds to a segment of the innovation ecosystem that remains underserved. Deep-tech and science-based ventures typically require specialist support, links with universities and industry, longer development timelines and early-stage funding before commercialisation.
The initiative brings together OST’s programmes under a single acceleration structure and introduces Openers First, an investment arm providing early-stage backing to selected ventures.
It also builds on OST’s evolution from a university entrepreneurship competition into a pan-African investment-readiness programme.
OST said it will organise its activities into two pathways: one focused on pre-seed ventures translating research into investable businesses, and another supporting seed-stage start-ups scaling technologies for commercial and social impact.
Openers First will provide early-stage funding for selected ventures emerging from OST’s programmes. It is intended to complement OST’s investment-readiness work and support ventures transitioning from pre-seed to seed stage.
As part of the initiative, Science Road will connect ecosystems from Tunis to South Africa.
The organisation is working with partners including CERI, Stellenbosch University and LaunchLab to support research-led founders moving science from research environments towards commercial application.
“For ten years, OST has worked to help entrepreneurs build ventures and access opportunities,” said Houda Ghozzi, founder and chief executive officer of OST.
“As we enter our second decade, we do so with greater maturity, a broader continental footprint, and a renewed ambition.
"We believe the Science Road can become a runway connecting Africa’s innovators to the world, unlocking new opportunities for collaboration, investment, and scientific advancement, while helping build a new narrative between Africa and the world: one defined by contribution, innovation, and shared prosperity.”
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