Telkom and the UK-South Africa Tech Hub funded an AI accelerator

Telkom is bankrolling an AI accelerator, pulling in UK muscle, and lining up Black-owned tech startups to scale without fees or equity grabs.

AI Growth Catalyst launch details

• Telkom FutureMakers is launching an AI accelerator programme.
• Partnered with Disraptor and the UK-South Africa Tech Hub.
• Kickoff is set for January 30, 2026.

Who the programme targets

• Built for South African, Black-owned ICT SMMEs.
• Requires at least one technical team member.
• Annual turnover capped at R50 million.

What participants actually get

• Six months of fully funded accelerator support.
• Embedded engineering for automation and cloud.
• AI-readiness tooling and technical guidance.
• Investor prep capped by a demo day.

Training and funding structure

• Disraptor delivers the accelerator content.
• Telkom and the UK-South Africa Tech Hub fund it.
• No fees charged and no equity taken.

UK link and ecosystem angle

• Connects local founders with UK expertise.
• Aims to deepen long-term AI capability.
• Focus stays on sustainable ecosystem growth.

First cohort already locked

• Atomic AI made the initial cut.
• Kasi Money and KasiDel Marketplace joined.
• Khoi Tech and Legal Ascend were selected.
• Real PPE rounded out the early group.

More startups in the mix

• SpaceSalad Studios joined the cohort.
• The Awareness Company came onboard.
• Visionary Writings and WaFunda were included.

FutureMakers track record

• Telkom runs it as a flagship development programme.
• Focuses on enterprise growth and suppliers.
• Has supported over 2,600 businesses in ten years.