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Message: [QUOTE="Queen, post: 85933, member: 27"] 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 [LIST] [*]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. [/LIST] Who the programme targets [LIST] [*]Built for South African, Black-owned ICT SMMEs. [*]Requires at least one technical team member. [*]Annual turnover capped at R50 million. [/LIST] What participants actually get [LIST] [*]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. [/LIST] Training and funding structure [LIST] [*]Disraptor delivers the accelerator content. [*]Telkom and the UK-South Africa Tech Hub fund it. [*]No fees charged and no equity taken. [/LIST] UK link and ecosystem angle [LIST] [*]Connects local founders with UK expertise. [*]Aims to deepen long-term AI capability. [*]Focus stays on sustainable ecosystem growth. [/LIST] First cohort already locked [LIST] [*]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. [/LIST] More startups in the mix [LIST] [*]SpaceSalad Studios joined the cohort. [*]The Awareness Company came onboard. [*]Visionary Writings and WaFunda were included. [/LIST] FutureMakers track record [LIST] [*]Telkom runs it as a flagship development programme. [*]Focuses on enterprise growth and suppliers. [*]Has supported over 2,600 businesses in ten years. [/LIST] [/QUOTE]

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