MTN Cloud Accelerator 2025 Presents N5m Grant, Enterprise-grade Tech to African Startups

The 12-week MTN Cloud Accelerator 2025 Cohort was officially concluded in Lagos, equipping its graduating African startups with substantial non-equity funding and a suite of technological resources aimed at high-velocity growth.

Participating companies, all growth-stage ventures, received a N5 million non-equity grant funding package, alongside critical support that integrates them directly into MTN’s digital ecosystem. These supports include Cloud credits and technical advisory across MTN’s infrastructure, as well as crucial API access to MTN Cloud, MoMo and Chenosis.

The MTN Cloud Accelerator is distinctly positioned to serve startups with existing products, paying customers, and visible market traction, focusing on the difficult pivot from viability to scale. The comprehensive support structure is designed to dismantle common barriers faced by African tech companies.

The full support package includes financial and infrastructure access, providing the N5 million grant along with free cloud credits and technical advisory. For ecosystem integration, startups gain API access to MTN’s core digital platforms, specifically Cloud, MoMo, and Chenosis, enabling seamless service integration across the continent. Market and sales support is dedicated, offering Go-to-market strategies and sales assistance, combined with opportunities for commercial pilots and partnerships within MTN’s vast African market footprint. Finally, mentorship involves investor readiness training and guidance from a faculty of highly experienced industry leaders.

The program’s 12-week hybrid format balanced virtual learning with crucial in-person networking during the Lagos kickoff and the final Demo Day.

The 2025 cohort featured a diverse lineup of high-potential startups tackling urgent challenges across crucial sectors like fintech, agritech, healthcare, and SaaS. Key graduating companies include Doktorconnect, which innovates access to quality healthcare services; Regxta, which drives financial inclusion for historically underserved customers; PipeOps, which develops tools to simplify infrastructure deployment for engineering teams (SaaS); Agrovesto, which strengthens agricultural productivity through digital solutions (Agritech); and PBR Life Sciences, which is focused on building advanced medical and biotechnology solutions.

A major draw of the programme is its high-calibre faculty. Founders received mentorship from leading African technology figures, including Mitchell Elegbe of Interswitch, Funke Opeke of MainOne, Adewale Yusuf of TalentQL, Atinuke Idowu of Termii, Cynthia Alabi, a Revenue Growth Leader, Tomie Balogun of Twelve Inc. and Nubi Kay’ of Paystack. Their collective expertise provided founders with real-world insights spanning scaling operations, technical deployment, and navigating complex African markets.
Meanwhile, the accelerator’s value extends beyond the Demo Day, providing two key advantages for the continent’s tech pipeline: first, a reduced barrier to entry, as startups gain immediate access to enterprise-grade cloud tools and APIs that would typically be costly or difficult to secure at the growth stage; and second, a direct route to market, where partnership opportunities offered through MTN allow these startups to bypass lengthy sales cycles, potentially unlocking pilots and collaborations across multiple African countries quickly.

The MTN Cloud Accelerator is effectively positioning itself as a platform that doesn’t just fund potential, but actively embeds promising African technologies into scalable commercial frameworks, shaping the future of African digital services.