Grace Ashiru
Six youth-led Rwandan ventures have received a combined Rwf60 million in funding after emerging as winners of the seventh phase of the iAccelerator programme.
Each project received Rwf10 million in seed funding, alongside training and mentorship designed to help the teams develop and scale their solutions.
The programme, backed by Imbuto Foundation and its partners, focuses on young entrepreneurs building solutions around adolescent sexual and reproductive health and mental health.
The six winners were selected from 15 finalists following a programme of mentorship, training and pitching.
Among the beneficiaries is Steps Initiative, which works on mental health and drug addiction awareness. The organisation plans to expand a mobile platform that provides mental health information, helps users assess alcohol-related problems and connects people with healthcare professionals.
Another winning project, the Tuza Smart Bracelet, is developing wearable technology designed to identify signs associated with anxiety, stress and mental health challenges while connecting users to additional support through a mobile application.
Other selected projects are tackling issues such as confidential access to reproductive health information, menstrual health, misinformation and access to mental health services.
Imbuto Foundation’s official iAccelerator programme states that the six winning projects receive Rwf10 million each as well as six months of training and mentorship.
The initiative reflects Rwanda’s continued use of accelerator programmes and grant funding to help young entrepreneurs turn early-stage ideas into practical health and social-impact solutions.
