By Adedapo Adesanya
Artificial intelligence (AI) company, Flapmax, has announced a strategic partnership with global technology leader, Intel, to foster AI innovation for local startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to drive economic empowerment in Africa.
The collaboration will provide technology access, training, mentorship, and funding opportunities to entrepreneurs in emerging markets, starting with Africa, through the FAST Accelerator programme.
FAST is designed to help startups that are building cloud-based and AI-enabled products and services supporting Africa’s communities, companies, and governments.
Speaking on this, Mr Dave Ojika, the founder and CEO of Flapmax, said the company has been working with Intel to develop sustainable digital solutions that readily expand AI accessibility in underserved communities.
He said, “We are excited to build on our momentum with the FAST Accelerator program,” adding that “Bridging the knowledge gap in technological advancement is key to creating meaningful social impact. Through this partnership with Intel, Flapmax will bring cutting-edge technology and advanced curricula, including generative AI, robotics, and deep tech, to innovators in Africa and other technologically underserved communities.”
The programme was created by Flapmax in partnership with Microsoft, FAST Accelerator combines business development, AI integration, funding, and community-building opportunities designed to enable startups to scale more rapidly and sustainably.
It was revealed in a statement seen by Business Post that more than 800 startups from 25+ countries applied to join the inaugural programme.
The top startup participants will embark on a five-week programme in Silicon Valley, California, forging relationships with industry experts, potential investors, and global partners through Flapmax’s vibrant ecosystem of over 600 corporate partners.
Adding his input, Mr Michael Campbell, General Manager, Education Client Division, Intel Corporation, said, “Intel’s mission to shape the future of computing and enable a more intelligent, connected, and productive world aligns perfectly with Flapmax’s vision to bring AI technology to all aspects of life, inclusive of underserved populations in Africa and other emerging markets.
“The partnership with Flapmax will greatly accelerate AI adoption for these communities, driving scalable business growth, optimized operations, and contributing to a more sustainable world.”
The programme participants will collaborate closely with Intel through extensive mentorship and coaching, ranging from co-innovation projects to sales & marketing support and go-to-market enablement to expand their reach to a broader audience.
Members of the Flapmax engineering team will help startups apply new Intel-optimized AI hardware and software solutions as well as scale and fine-tune their AI models on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform.
Participants will benefit from additional perks, including Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub (up to $150,000 of cloud credits) and Azure OpenAI (including ChatGPT, DALL·E 2, and other Large Language Models: LLM releases), as well as access to Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365 developer sandboxes.
