A panel will then select four winning companies to receive financial support and mentorship.

NBA Africa announced this week that ten start-up companies from seven African countries have been chosen to pitch their solutions to a panel of international business leaders at a Demo Day on Wednesday, September 25, at the NBA headquarters in New York City.

The ten are part of the "Triple-Double: NBA Africa Start-up Accelerator," which the league started in April 2024 to help Africa's digital ecosystem and the next generation of African entrepreneurs.

A panel will then select four winning companies to receive financial support and mentorship, as well as the opportunity to participate in workshops and development programs hosted by NBA Africa or its partners.

“We have been inspired by the level of talent and creativity from all of the applicants, and we congratulate the 10 deserving finalists who will showcase their innovative solutions at Demo Day later this month,” said NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi.

“NBA Africa is committed to supporting the continued growth of startups on the continent, including the four prize-winners whose innovative solutions will further elevate the sport and creative industries in Africa for years to come.”

Below are the 10 start-ups that will compete for the four prize-winning spots.

• Backrest (Rwanda) provides a wearable technology solution called WristWrist for venues and event organizers to facilitate cashless payments at event venues. WristWrist provides a payment system whereby attendees can load money onto wristbands before an event and spend it at the event venue through seamless, quick transactions.
• Buzza (Nigeria) helps sports organizations improve their operations through digital solutions, including enabling organizations to transition from paper-based to digital management, setting up websites, collecting payment, and growing revenue. Athletes can also sign up for the platform to track their matches and scores and build their profiles to become more prominent sports figures and influencers across Africa.
• Festival Coins (Nigeria) is an event technology company that offers a customizable, no-code event registration and ticketing platform called Tix Africa for events in Nigeria and Ghana. It enables event organizers to sell tickets online, process payments, and handle on-site registrations.
• Gara (Côte d’Ivoire) is a pan-African video gaming and comics platform that encourages and facilitates the distribution of digital entertainment experiences on the continent. Through culturally relevant products, including games featuring local celebrities and adaptable payment systems for local currencies, Gara aims to facilitate greater reach and monetization of the creative and cultural industries on the continent.
• HustleSasa (Kenya) provides live event services that support payment processing, attendee check-in, merchandise sales, customer data management, influencer tracking, and more.
• Naemo Global(Nigeria) aims to revolutionize sports scouting on the African continent through its proprietary scouting software Afriskaut, which utilizes data analytics and AI. The Afriskaut platform processes football match videos and extracts critical data, which it makes available to clients via a platform and application programming interface (API) to support scouting the next generation of elite talent.
• Power to Girls Foundation (Ghana) provides a social connection and mentorship platform called My Power App dedicated to empowering and supporting girls and women ages 13-20. The platform provides educational resources, connects users with mentors, offers a confidential helpline, and fosters a supportive community of like-minded girls, addressing critical growth areas such as education, mental health, and personal development.
• Salubata (Nigeria) creates modular shoes repurposed from plastic waste. With a global patent and two design rights for its innovation, the company aims to reduce the global carbon footprint through its environmentally friendly products.
• UBR VR (Egypt) delivers state-of-the-art, fully immersive, in-person virtual reality (VR) experiences across Egypt. Its rich historical and fantasy VR worlds are culturally relevant and localized, allowing players to roam freely in enclosed spaces and interact with each other in a designated play area. These VR experiences are unparalleled in the country and foster a sense of connection to both the local community and fellow players.
• Vambo Technologies (South Africa) provides a digital language technology platform that leverages AI to provide real-time translation, content creation, and language learning technology. Not only does Vambo AI offer widely spoken languages such as Amharic, Yoruba, French and Portuguese, it also offers more niche languages spoken across Africa to facilitate true digital inclusion on the continent.