Rising stars chosen for global startup accelerator programme

Rising stars from across Africa, South Asia and the Caribbean have been chosen for a leading global startup accelerator programme to turbocharge their businesses.

The Commonwealth Startup Fellowship (CSF) empowers early-stage entrepreneurs from across the Commonwealth to address global development challenges through innovation and enterprise.  

The 23 startups were selected for the highly competitive programme which assessed applications from more than 1,800 companies across 44 eligible countries and territories.   

The successful Fellows come from countries including: Bangladesh, Botswana, Ghana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Uganda.  They will begin their journey with a bootcamp in Accra, Ghana in 17-28 November.  

“These rising stars bring bold ideas and a deep commitment to solving real-world challenges." Sarah Ranchev-Hale Head of Imperial Enterprise Lab

The programme sees the Fellows participate in a six-month programme of workshops, mentorship, and coaching to kick-start their business development journey. The programme culminates with an investor showcase in London in May 2026. 

The Commonwealth Startup Fellowship is a flagship Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) programme funded by the UK government and delivered in partnership with Imperial College London. Two of the Fellows from Ghana are funded by Imperial Global Ghana – Imperial's African hub based in Accra. 

The high‑potential startups are all from low‑ and middle‑income Commonwealth countries and the programme will equip the entrepreneurs to build thriving businesses, scale operations effectively, and drive job creation in their home countries.   

Sarah Ranchev-Hale, Head of Imperial Enterprise Lab, said: “These rising stars bring bold ideas and a deep commitment to solving real-world challenges.

"We’re proud to support these inspiring entrepreneurs through the Imperial Enterprise Lab and Imperial Global Ghana, helping them build the skills, networks, and confidence to grow their ventures and deliver meaningful change in their regions.

"Now in its second year, the Commonwealth Startup Fellowship is proving to be a catalyst for unlocking entrepreneurial talent, attracting investment and collaboration, and accelerating inclusive growth.” 

"The Commonwealth Startup Fellowship is proving what’s possible when higher education, industry, and decisionmakers unite with a shared vision for a better world.” Professor Robin Mason Chair of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission

Professor Robin Mason, Chair of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission: “We are delighted to be working with Imperial to nurture these promising entrepreneurs and help them scale their startups to create real impact.

"We look forward to seeing the Fellows flourish over the next six months and contribute to the Commonwealth's thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem.

"The Commonwealth Startup Fellowship is proving what’s possible when higher education, industry, and decisionmakers unite with a shared vision for a better world.”

Commonwealth Startup Fellowship

The Commonwealth Startup Fellowship is a dynamic six‑month programme dedicated to igniting and elevating high‑potential startups from low‑ and middle‑income Commonwealth countries. The entrepreneurs are equipped to build thriving businesses, scale operations effectively, and drive job creation in their home countries.    

The landmark initiative, developed by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) in partnership with Imperial Enterprise Lab and Imperial Global Ghana, selects startups from low- and middle-income Countries around the Commonwealth to take part. 
The programme culminates with a special investor showcase in London where the startups can pitch their innovative ideas. The first cohort, which included 19 founders, presented their businesses at the event at Imperial in September this year. A keynote speech was given by Imperial alum, Babatunde Soyoye, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Helios Investment Partners, the world’s largest Africa-focused private investment firm.   

Startups and founders 
 

Find out more about the startups and their founders

BANGLADESH 
Cassetex – Gopal Kumar Mohoto 
Clean energy for everyone through affordable, application agnostic modular battery as-a-service. 
 
Lead Academy – Sharif Ahmed 
STEM and AI based EdTech for employable upskilling. 
 
MommyKidz – Nishat Anjum Palka 
A community app empowering women and parents through puberty, pregnancy, and parenting. 

BOTSWANA 
Morititech Pty – Moriti Omondi 
Uses AI-powered peer lending to unlock fast, fair credit access for Africa’s unbanked. 
 
GHANA 
PureLube – Fareeda Mustapha 
A co-friendly, high-performance grease made from cashew shells for automotive and industrial use. 
 
ShaQ Express – Anthony Owusu-Ansah and Rhoda Folie 
Tech-powered green logistics company enabling last-mile delivery with electric bikes in Ghana. 
 
SnooCODERED – Sesinam Dagadu and Dr Nana Serwaa Quao 
Delivers emergency logistics software to improve healthcare in hard-to-reach areas. 
 
INDIA 
CareNX Innovations – Dr Aditya Kulkarni 
AI-based fetal monitoring for remote care to improve pregnancy outcomes in low-resource settings. 
 
Uthaan Technologies – Kapildev Sureshbhai Patil 
Vitto is a FinTech platform enabling inclusive credit access for MSMEs using alternate data and AI. 
 
JAMAICA 
Carbon Neutral Initiative – Damani Adama Thomas 
Decarbonising transport with De30, a high-performance biofuel made from agricultural waste. 
 
KENYA 
Bevtech Solutions – Beverly Juma 
Panacare is an innovative telehealth platform that connects patients, local clinicians, and specialized doctors through real-time consultations, addressing the challenges of healthcare access in underserved rural areas. 
 
Terralima Technologies – Roy Kirianja Njoka 
A digital platform connecting African farmers to fair markets with traceable trade and finance. 
 
NIGERIA 
Alora Reusable Pads – Sarah Kuponiyi 
Provides eco-friendly menstrual products to end period poverty and plastic waste. 
 
Milsat Technologies – Taslim Salaudeen 
Building data collection and sharing infrastructure for the African market. 
 
Pay Slice – Kelechi Oleka 
Providing African farmers with credit assurance, guaranteed markets, and fair, secure payments. 
 
Terawork.com - Titilayo Taiwo 
Connecting African talents to local and global businesses through a trusted digital talent marketplace. 
 
PAKISTAN 
Markaz Technologies – Umair Aslam 
Social commerce app enabling women and first-time internet users to sell online without capital. 
 
SAWIE Ecosystems – Aiman Aziz 
Offers data-driven farm advisory, traceability, and marketplace solutions to farmers. 
 
SRI LANKA 
SenzAgro Solutions – Miller Alexander Rajendran 
Empowers smallholders with an affordable, hyper-localized precision automation platform. 
 
TANZANIA 
NovFeed – Diana Orembe 
Uses microbial consortia to ferment organic waste into fish feed and biofertilizers. 
 
SafeSip – Faith Sebastian Kuya 
A life-saving water filter straw providing safe water for rural families. 
 
UGANDA 
Helton Traders – Hellen Munyasa 
We turn plastic waste into affordable sewing threads to power Africa’s textile industry. 
 
Protein Kapital – Daniel Osokam Enebeli 
Protein Kapital develops alternative proteins and bio-fertilizers from food waste using insects.