NBA Africa has announced five prize-winning startups from the second edition of the NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator, an initiative designed to strengthen Africa’s technology ecosystem and support the continent’s next generation of entrepreneurs.
The accelerator, launched last year, attracted more than 700 applications from 32 African countries. Ten finalists were selected to pitch their solutions at a Demo Day held at Carnegie Mellon University Africa (CMU-Africa) in Kigali, Rwanda, before a panel of international industry leaders.
The winning startups are Reborn (Morocco), Fitclan (Egypt), Athlon Technology (Egypt), Atsur (Nigeria) and Songdis (Nigeria). Each company received financial support and admission into CMU-Africa’s 12-month Business Incubation Programme, valued at up to $70,000, aimed at helping African startups transform early-stage concepts into scalable, market-ready products and services.
The top three winners also received $10,000 each in Application Programming Interface (API) credits and an exclusive immersion day with the OpenAI engineering team at OpenAI’s headquarters.
Reborn, which emerged first, offers advanced performance indicators that provide athletes with detailed insights into their physical condition and on-field performance. The Moroccan startup was awarded $25,000 in cash, alongside incubation support, API credits and the OpenAI immersion experience.
Second-placed Fitclan, a digital fitness platform serving individuals and corporate clients through a flexible subscription model, received $15,000 in cash, incubation support, API credits and the OpenAI immersion opportunity.
Athlon Technology, which placed third, focuses on providing affordable, AI-powered video analysis for amateur and budget-constrained sports teams using accessible mobile technology. The Egyptian startup was awarded $5,000 in cash, incubation support, API credits and an OpenAI immersion day.
Nigeria’s Atsur, which placed fourth, leverages blockchain technology to promote investment in African art while supporting artists and creative communities. Songdis, also from Nigeria and placed fifth, offers digital distribution and related services tailored to African independent artists and record labels. Both startups received $2,500 in cash and a place in CMU-Africa’s Business Incubation Programme.
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The Demo Day judges included CMU-Africa Director Conrad Tucker, OpenAI Africa Lead Emmanuel Lubanzadio, and ServiceNow Africa Vice President and Managing Director Cheick Camara, alongside ServiceNow’s Head of Strategy and Operations, Nikki van Gasse. The event was supported by CMU-Africa, ServiceNow and OpenAI, with ALX Ventures serving as the Official Operating Partner for the second consecutive year.
Speaking on the outcome, NBA Africa Chief Executive Officer Clare Akamanzi said the quality of ideas presented by the finalists reflected the growing depth of innovation across the continent.
“We continue to be amazed by the creative, talented and passionate entrepreneurs who participate in the NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator,” Akamanzi said. “The finalists and prize-winning companies stood out with bold and innovative solutions that are shaping the future of sport and entertainment in Africa. The support provided through this programme will help them scale their products and create lasting impact across the continent and globally.”
NBA Africa, an affiliate of the National Basketball Association, oversees the league’s business operations on the continent, including the Basketball Africa League (BAL), while driving youth development, media distribution, corporate partnerships and social responsibility initiatives across all 54 African countries.
