Techstars Seattle announced its 12th class on the 25th of January, featuring 10 startups from around the world. The accelerator, which has accepted only a handful of African startups, included Afriblocks, a Pan-African freelance platform from Zimbabwe in this class.
Techstars is the global platform for investment and innovation. Techstars founders connect with other entrepreneurs, experts, mentors, alumni, investors, community leaders, and corporations to grow their companies. Techstars operates three divisions: Techstars Mentorship-driven Accelerator Programs, Techstars Corporate Innovation Partnerships, and Techstars Communities. The Techstars accelerator portfolio includes more than 2,000 companies with a market cap of more than $26 Billion.
Since its inception in 2006, Techstars has guided 2,379 companies to raise more than $11.4 billion in investments. Fueled by its mentorship-driven program, Techstars is steadily building a legacy of successful startups, with more than 80% of participating companies being active or acquired.
Founded by Tongayi Choto and Roger Roman in July 2020, AfriBlocks is a global pan-African marketplace of vetted African freelance professionals with offices in Harare and Los Angeles. The company is trying to address the high unemployment rate that plagues many African countries by making it easier for people to find work.
In less than a year, the company has onboarded more than 2,000 freelancers and more than 400 buyers. It has also completed up to 250 jobs generating over $60,000 in revenue. This progress has attracted the likes of Techstars and Google to provide them with funding and networking.
“Joining the Techstars Seattle class of 2021 is a considerable milestone in the early development of AfriBlocks,” reacts CEO and co-founder Tongayi Choto, “The timing couldn’t be better as we continue to see development in the African tech ecosystem, which only increases our long-term growth opportunities.”
Tongayi Choto graduated from University of Zimbabwe in 2014 with a Bsc Computer science and Mathematics.
Techstars is the global platform for investment and innovation. Techstars founders connect with other entrepreneurs, experts, mentors, alumni, investors, community leaders, and corporations to grow their companies. Techstars operates three divisions: Techstars Mentorship-driven Accelerator Programs, Techstars Corporate Innovation Partnerships, and Techstars Communities. The Techstars accelerator portfolio includes more than 2,000 companies with a market cap of more than $26 Billion.
Since its inception in 2006, Techstars has guided 2,379 companies to raise more than $11.4 billion in investments. Fueled by its mentorship-driven program, Techstars is steadily building a legacy of successful startups, with more than 80% of participating companies being active or acquired.
Founded by Tongayi Choto and Roger Roman in July 2020, AfriBlocks is a global pan-African marketplace of vetted African freelance professionals with offices in Harare and Los Angeles. The company is trying to address the high unemployment rate that plagues many African countries by making it easier for people to find work.
In less than a year, the company has onboarded more than 2,000 freelancers and more than 400 buyers. It has also completed up to 250 jobs generating over $60,000 in revenue. This progress has attracted the likes of Techstars and Google to provide them with funding and networking.
“Joining the Techstars Seattle class of 2021 is a considerable milestone in the early development of AfriBlocks,” reacts CEO and co-founder Tongayi Choto, “The timing couldn’t be better as we continue to see development in the African tech ecosystem, which only increases our long-term growth opportunities.”