Four Nigerian Startups join Google’s 10th Africa Accelerator Cohort

Google has named four Nigerian startups among 15 companies selected for the 10th cohort of the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa, narrowing the field from nearly 2,600 applicants across the continent. The acceptance rate for this cohort comes in at under 1%.

The selected Nigerian startups — Bani, MasteryHive AI, Regxta, and Termii reflect the program’s renewed emphasis on deep-tech and AI-native solutions aimed at solving some of Africa’s most persistent infrastructure gaps, particularly in financial services and digital communications.

Google’s latest Africa accelerator cohort shifts from earlier, broader themes of digital transformation to a more targeted focus on advanced technologies, especially artificial intelligence and deep-tech approaches. The four Nigerian startups all lean on AI to tackle structural challenges in payments, financial access and communication reliability.

• Bani is building cross-border payments infrastructure for African businesses that operate globally. Its goal is to eliminate settlement delays that often slow down international transactions, a recurring pain point for companies trading across borders.
• MasteryHive AI applies artificial intelligence to financial operations, focusing on automating transaction reconciliation, detecting fraud, and supporting anti-money laundering (AML) monitoring. These capabilities are central to reducing risk and improving the efficiency of financial institutions.
• Regxta targets financial inclusion for microbusinesses that remain outside the formal banking system. The startup combines alternative data–driven credit scoring with a hybrid digital-agent model to extend financial services to unbanked micro-entrepreneurs.
• Termii provides AI-powered communications infrastructure intended to improve the reliability of financial messaging for banks and fintechs. Its platform is designed to make critical messages such as transaction alerts or authentication codes more dependable.

Commenting on the new cohort, Folarin Aiyegbusi, Head of Startup Ecosystem, Africa at Google, said the company is “absolutely thrilled to welcome these exceptional founders into Class 10.” He added that African startups are driving both economic growth and social development, and framed Google’s role as that of a partner providing technical infrastructure, mentorship and a global network to help developers and founders scale and deepen their impact.

Google for Startups Accelerator Africa launched in 2018 and has since supported 106 startups across 17 African countries. According to Google, startups that have passed through the program have collectively raised more than $263 million and created over 2,800 jobs.

Nigeria has been a steady presence in previous cohorts. Notable Nigerian alumni from the 2025 Class 9 include Myltura, Scandium and Pastel. As with earlier editions, the accelerator continues to be equity-free, allowing participating startups — typically around the Series A stage — to benefit from support and exposure without giving up ownership stakes.

The 10th cohort will take part in a hybrid program running from April 13 to June 19, 2026. Over this period, the 15 selected startups will receive tailored guidance from industry experts and attend hands-on workshops focused specifically on machine learning and AI implementation. The aim is to help founders embed these technologies more deeply into their products and operations, in line with the program’s deep-tech orientation.

With the inclusion of Bani, MasteryHive AI, Regxta and Termii, Nigeria’s startup ecosystem maintains a visible role in Google’s pan-African accelerator strategy, particularly in domains where AI can unlock new layers of financial inclusion and infrastructure reliability.