Kenya startups Solar Freeze and Flare shortlisted on Google’s Accelerator programme on Sustainable Development Goals
Google for Startups Accelerator: Sustainable Development Goals, is a programme aimed at empowering “technology startups to build and scale viable social impact companies to solve the world’s biggest problems” by utilizing Google’s skilled personnel, its network and its advance technology. Early this year, Google opened up applications for Startups in Africa to apply for the programme, and from those applications two Kenyan startups have been selected to participate in the programme. The two are Solar Freeze and Flare.
Solar Freeze is a Startup aiming to distribute cold storage units to rural farmers with intention of helping those farmers extend the shelf life of their produce. Without proper storage facilities, farmers lose up to 80% of their produce to microbiological and other post harvest handling activities. Microbiological losses by themselves can be greatly reduced just by lowering the temperature of the storage facility, but rural farmers do not have the financial muscle to install state of the art storage equipment let alone silos. Solar Freeze has therefore come up with mobile cold storage units powered by renewable energy that the small holder farmers can use to extend the shelf life of their produce for months or even years where applicable.
Flare on the other is focused on software development where the Flare software is primarily made for emergency response teams with features such as real-time tracking, reporting, resource management, and coordination of the team. The software also has ” has an inbuilt consumer-facing application that allows patients to see nearby emergency or ambulance options and seek help”, reports Business Daily.
The startups selected for Google for Startups Accelerator: Sustainable Development Goals will receive boot camp trainings, free mentoring and technical support, pairing with a Google Startup Success Manager to help connect the startup with specific resources within and outside Google among other support structures.
The Kenyan startups had to compete against 1,200 other applicants drawn from Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa. The other selected startups include Wondertree of Pakistan, OKO from Israel, mDoc from Nigeria, Skilllab from Netherlands, apic.ai from Germany and Everimpact from France.
