The Smart Cities Innovation Programme (SCIP) // Apply by 23rd May 2021

The Smart Cities Innovation Programme (SCIP) is a 6-month accelerator for startups from Rwanda and other African countries. It will be taking place from June to December 2021 focusing on the fields of Fintech, Mobility, Cleantech, and Smart Housing.

The rate of urbanisation in Africa is the highest in the world. By 2030, 50% of Africans are predicted to be living in urban settings.

According to the World Bank, this increasing urbanisation holds much potential for the continent, as it can result in economic growth and poverty reduction. At the same time, it holds the risk of aggravating inequality and urban poverty. Therefore, concrete action to direct Africa’s urban transformation in terms of the SDGs is needed.

The good news is that entrepreneurs continue to innovate in interesting ways to deal with issues that have plagued the African continent for so long such as poverty and poor housing. It is no doubt that the quality of living for many people has improved over the past few years. 

The Smart Cities Innovation Programme (SCIP) supports 30 selected start-ups that will benefit from individual mentoring, training as well as intensive networking and matchmaking with international business partners. 

It also involves investors such as Volkswagen, Siemens, Viktoria Ventures, and the African Business Angels Network (ABAN). Both the partners & investors bring on board highly specialised technical expertise, build the start-ups’ networks and participate, along with other ecosystem players, in the demo days in Kigali.

SCIP has been set up to support the growth of digital urban innovations in Rwanda and beyond. It is in collaboration with the Rwandan government, the Special Initiative on Training and Job Creation and the Tech-Entrepreneurship Initiative ‘Make-IT in Africa’ implemented by GIZ.

SCIP Application Requirements 

SCIP aims at accelerating start-ups that have:​

• Operations in one or more African countries 
• Solutions in Fintech, Mobility, Cleantech & Smart Housing for Smart Cities 
• Launched their product or service and have customers 
• Growth and job creation potential 
• Social and/or environmental impact 
• A strong and motivated team

Why Apply to SCIP?

1. Access a network of international partners– Start-ups will be supported by international corporate partners, investors and public institutions during the programme. 
2. Get support from dedicated mentors – Start-ups will be advised remotely by a sector-specific mentor and matched with an additional business development mentor.
3. Pitch during demo days in Kigali – Start-ups will be invited to pitch their solutions to corporates and investors in Rwanda in September. 
4. Learn from peers in your sector – Start-ups will exchange with their cohort peers in the mobility, housing or fintech sector.
5. Receive training tailored to your needs – Start-ups will receive training based on their identified needs, not a predefined curriculum. 
6. Enter the Smart City ecosystem– Start-ups will gain visibility and support within the growing ecosystem of actors promoting Smart Cities. 

SCIP Areas of Focus

Smart Mobility:

New technology-led solutions to enable people and goods to be transported within and between communities. Their target topics include:

• Shared mobility
• Road safety
• e-Parking
• e-charging
• Micro-mobility (shared or personally owned)
• Ticketing/payment/info integration

Cleantech & Smart Housing:

Housing and in-home solutions that are focused on the future, innovative, and seek to expand access to affordable housing. This may include things like:

• Smart construction (more efficient, cheaper, modular, locally adapted)
• Smart customisation (better fit to location / local demand, affordable to more people)
• Smart integration (with utilities like energy, water, waste management)
• Climate-smart (materials, energy usage, water usage)

Fintech for Affordability:

Seeking ways in which financial technology can be deployed to make the various smart solutions affordable to different market segments. The financial solutions are typically credit, savings, investment, remittance and insurance solutions. Examples include payment enablement for mobility services or utilities; micro-mortgage; smart contracts; voucher systems.

How To Apply:

To apply to the Smart Cities Innovation Programme (SCIP), please fill in the application form before Sunday, 23rd of May.

Note: If your application is selected, you will be invited to provide further information about your business and participate in an interview. 

Featured image courtesy - SCIP.