Open Startup Unveils BRAIN 5.0 to Accelerate DeepTech Innovation Across Africa

Open Startup has announced the launch of the fifth edition of its flagship accelerator programme, BRAIN 5.0, designed to support African DeepTech startups in becoming investment- and market-ready.

According to a statement, the milestone marks five years of continuous evolution, during which the BRAIN programme has been refined to provide more practical and customised support to help founders tackle both technical and business challenges. Each edition builds on the last, strengthening efforts to connect scientific innovation with entrepreneurship across the continent.

The statement highlighted that, over the past five years and through collaboration with a network of global partners, the BRAIN initiative has supported more than 40 DeepTech startups across 10 African countries and 12 industries. So far, 25 startups have completed the accelerator, with 60 per cent securing investments and collectively raising over $5 million across multiple sectors.

For its fifth cohort, BRAIN 5.0 will place greater emphasis on health and climate innovation, offering deeper, more specialised support to drive impactful scientific and technological solutions within these critical areas.

BRAIN is a 12-month hybrid accelerator tailored for science-based African startups leveraging advanced AI technologies or complex hardware in the health and climate sectors. It is developed in collaboration with AfricaGrow, AfricInvest Group, and the Dutch Good Growth Fund, alongside strategic partners such as Steve Madden, Digital Africa, MIT-Africa, the MIT Executive MBA Program, Bpifrance, Sanofi, and InstaDeep.

The programme provides several high-value opportunities, including an in-person intensive bootcamp in South Africa co-delivered with MIT Executive MBA students and global DeepTech experts, international exposure through immersions in Africa, the United States, and Europe, and investor access via exclusive pitch sessions and meetings with leading DeepTech investors.