Google has selected four Nigerian startups—Bani, MasteryHive AI, Regxta, and Termii for the 10th cohort of its Google for Startups Accelerator Africa programme, highlighting Nigeria’s growing influence in Africa’s artificial intelligence and fintech ecosystem.
The announcement was made as part of a wider selection of 15 startups across the continent, chosen from nearly 2,600 applications, reflecting an acceptance rate of less than 1%. This year’s cohort places strong emphasis on deep-tech and AI-driven solutions aimed at solving infrastructure and financial system challenges in Africa.
The selected Nigerian startups are building tools that target critical gaps in financial services and digital communication. Bani focuses on cross-border payments infrastructure designed to reduce delays in international transactions for African businesses. MasteryHive AI develops systems for transaction reconciliation, fraud detection, and anti-money laundering compliance, helping financial institutions improve accuracy and security. Regxta uses alternative data and AI models to expand credit access to unbanked micro and small businesses, while Termii provides a communication infrastructure that ensures reliable delivery of banking messages such as OTPs, alerts, and authentication codes.
Google’s accelerator programme, which runs as a three-month hybrid initiative from April to June 2026, offers selected startups mentorship, technical training, and access to Google’s machine learning and cloud infrastructure resources. Participants also receive guidance from industry experts to help scale their products and prepare for global expansion.
Since its launch in 2018, the accelerator has supported over 100 startups across Africa, helping them raise significant funding and create thousands of jobs. Google says the programme is designed not just to provide capital access, but also to close technical gaps that often limit the growth of early-stage African startups.
The selection of these four Nigerian companies reinforces the country’s position as one of Africa’s leading innovation hubs. It also signals growing global confidence in Nigerian founders building AI-native solutions for complex financial and communication systems. As the cohort progresses, attention will be on how these startups leverage Google’s support to scale across African and international markets.
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