SEADE

What SEADE does

SEADE (Strengthening the Europe-Africa Digital Ecosystem through Increased R&I Cooperation) was a research and innovation project funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe programme. The project ran from January 2024 to December 2025 and was coordinated by Steinbeis Europa Zentrum (Germany) through the legal entity Steinbeis 2i GmbH. SEADE operated as a consortium of 10 African and European partners — Steinbeis Europa Zentrum, Methys, Bond'Innov, EBN, WAZIUP, Hapa Foundation, Technology Innovation Agency, Bpifrance, Association of African Universities, and ENRICH in Africa Center — with a small core team of approximately 8 staff.

The project delivered human-centred research, programme development, and pilot actions targeting Research and Innovation in Digital (R&IID) actors — including universities, research centres, incubators, accelerators, startups, and youth and women innovators — across four pilot regions: Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, and Senegal. Its service portfolio comprised a structured Route-to-Market pathway (bootcamps, learning expeditions, soft-landing programmes, and a 24-month twinning programme), capacity-building sessions (webinars, digital youth training, pitching and reverse-pitching sessions), and matchmaking events connecting innovators with investors. The core technology stack is the SEADE Digital Environment, a Centralised Digital Environment built on the legacy ENRICH in Africa Center platform that integrates user dashboards, job boards, technology offers, and funding opportunities, with backend integration into Bpifrance's EuroQuity networking platform (22,000+ companies, 3,000+ investors, 3,000+ business support structures). Operational methodology follows a Human-Centred Design framework (Understand, Observe, Point of View, Ideate, Prototype, Test).

SEADE is not a commercial enterprise: it generates no product or service revenue. The project is grant-funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe programme, with all programmes and support services provided free of charge to participants. Outcomes reported include 188 Twinning Programme applications from 11 countries, 8 cross-continental partnerships formed, 92% participant satisfaction, two business collaborations and one business registration in Senegal, and six-plus collaborations in Ghana through the Softlanding Programme. The project officially concluded on 31 December 2025, with legacy activities sustained via the ENRICH in Africa Center platform.

Name

SEADE

Legal name

Steinbeis 2i GmbH

Website

https://seade-project.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SEADE was a Horizon Europe-funded research and innovation project (January 2024 to December 2025) that delivered Route-to-Market programmes, capacity building, and matchmaking services to Research and Innovation in Digital actors across Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, and Senegal via a 10-partner African-European consortium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SEADE was a Horizon Europe funded research and innovation project that provided free support services to the Research and Innovation in Digital (R&IID) ecosystems of Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa from January 2024 to December 2025. It delivered a structured Route-to-Market pathway including bootcamps, learning expeditions, soft-landing programmes, twinning collaborations, pitching sessions, and matchmaking services via the ENRICH in Africa Center digital platform. Pilot activities were conducted in Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, and Senegal through a consortium of 10 African and European partners.

Product overview

SEADE (Strengthening the Europe-Africa Digital Ecosystem through Increased R&I Cooperation) is a research and innovation support initiative, not a single software product. It operates as a coordination project delivering multiple service programmes centered around its core digital platform, the ENRICH in Africa Center Platform. The service portfolio includes: (1) ENRICH in Africa Center Platform as the central digital environment for R&IID support; (2) Route-to-Market programmes including Softlanding (3-month immersion), Learning Expedition (1-week visits), and Twinning (24-month collaboration); (3) Capacity building via Bootcamp Sessions, Digital Youth Training Programme, and Webinar Series; (4) Business development support through Pitching Sessions and Matchmaking Sessions; all grounded in a Human-Centred Design methodology. The project ran January 2024 to December 2025 across four pilot regions in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ENRICH in Africa Center: A legacy digital platform from the Horizon 2020 ENRICH in Africa project, serving as the main vehicle to deliver SEADE digital tools and services.
• EuroQuity

Products and services

• ENRICH in Africa Center Platform A digital platform providing ongoing tools, networking, and resources to support innovators, entrepreneurs, and ecosystem actors across Europe and Africa; serves as the main vehicle for delivering SEADE digital tools and services and represents the legacy of SEADE activities after project end.
• Softlanding Programme Three-month market immersion activities conducted in Senegal, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa that supported mobility of EU R&IID actors into pilot ecosystems, enabling participants to expand activities through connections to local services, partners, customers, and events.
• Learning Expedition Programme Week-long immersive visits to pilot regions organized by various SEADE partners, connecting EU and SSA R&IID attendees with local actors, markets, partners, customers, and research institutes in Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, and Kenya.
• Twinning Programme A 24-month collaboration and knowledge exchange initiative connecting digital research and innovation actors from Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa, pairing organizations into Africa-Europe pairs to foster knowledge exchange and long-term partnerships.
• Bootcamp Sessions Practical workshops equipping R&IID and industry actors with essential skills to transition research innovations into market-ready solutions, covering market dynamics, business development strategies, investment readiness, youth and women empowerment, and cross-continental collaboration strategies.
• Webinar Sessions Market knowledge development and exchange webinars organized by various SEADE partners, covering innovation opportunities across the four pilot regions: Senegal, Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa.
• Digital Youth Training Programme A capacity-building initiative designed to equip young and female innovators with essential skills, knowledge, and connections to create startups or prototype technology transfer ideas, focusing on AI and IoT solutions.
• Pitching Sessions ePitching and Reverse Pitching sessions organized by Bpifrance that connected innovators, research centres, incubators, investors, and lenders, enabling innovators to showcase ideas directly to investors and vice versa.
• Matchmaking Sessions Sessions connecting innovators with investors through live and online events, focused on HealthTech, AgriTech, GreenTech, IoT, and AI ventures.

Quantifiable outcome

• 188 applications received for Twinning Programme from 11 countries
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• PrAEctiCeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 September 2024SEADE and PrAEctiCe signed an MoU to collaborate in amplifying their impact. PrAEctiCe supports smallholder farmers in East Africa by driving agroecological advancements through their unique agroecology indicator set and decision support tool. The partnership focuses on exchanging research, sharing best practices, and pooling resources for sustainable agriculture and innovation.
• ACCESS (African Centre for Career Enhancement & Skills Support)minorOthersACCESS, an initiative of the University of Leipzig, was recognized with an award at the SEADE R&I Summit for increasing opportunities of African students in the global labour market and connecting them with companies.
• ENRICH in AfricacoreOthersENRICH in Africa was a Horizon 2020 project that SEADE builds upon and extends. The ENRICH in Africa Center, a legacy organisation from the project, serves as the platform for SEADE's digital tools and services. SEADE extends the network by integrating researchers into the existing ecosystem of incubators, accelerators, and entrepreneurs.
• AfriConEUminorOthersAfriConEU is a Horizon 2020 project connecting digital innovation hubs across Africa and Europe to foster collaboration, innovation, and market expansion. Was recognized at the SEADE R&I Summit.
• HUBiquitousminorOthersHUBiquitous was a Horizon 2020 project that contributed to the network of core stakeholders SEADE builds upon.
• Steinbeis Europa ZentrumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject coordinator from Germany. Steinbeis Europa Zentrum brings vast experience in project management and coordination, and leads communication and dissemination activities.
• MethyscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth African partner responsible for integrating the SEADE digital environment into the ENRICH in Africa platform and serves as pilot lead for South Africa.
• Bond'InnovcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench partner with expertise in organising programmes for entrepreneurs. Develops services for researchers and serves as pilot lead for Senegal.
• European Business and Innovation Centre Network (EBN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPan-European community of 160+ members. Brings vast network of stakeholders and leads outreach activities.
• WAZIUP e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman non-profit promoting cutting-edge technologies. Launched IoT research-to-market programme and serves as pilot lead for Kenya.
• Hapa FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGhanaian foundation assisting young adults in building start-ups and developing STEM skills. Led human-centred research and serves as pilot lead for Ghana.
• Technology Innovation Agency (TIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth African agency bridging gap between research and development. Supports commercialisation of South African technology innovations and connects researchers and policymakers.
• BpifrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench Public Investment Bank providing matchmaking platform EuroQuity that connects companies with investors and partners. Also delivers programmes for researchers.
• Association of African Universities (AAU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresents 420+ African higher education institutions. Brings network of African universities and supports development of recommendations for activities beyond pilot regions.
• ENRICH in Africa CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementing partner owning the ENRICH in Africa platform. Serves as vehicle to provide SEADE digital tools, services, and programmes, guaranteeing legacy of project activities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• WAZIUP e.V. German non-profit promoting IoT and digital innovation in Africa and a SEADE core partner running the Kenya pilot and the Digital Youth Training Programme. Comparable as a smaller, programme-driven entity delivering digital skills, incubation, and EU-Africa researcher engagement.
• Bpifrance: French public investment bank and SEADE consortium partner that runs the EuroQuity matchmaking platform used by the ENRICH in Africa Digital Community. Comparable to SEADE in supporting digital start-ups through public financing, investor matchmaking, and pan-European/pan-African programming.

Broad incumbents

• European Business and Innovation Centre Network (EBN): Pan-European network of 160+ business and innovation centres and a SEADE core partner. Operates similar incubator-accelerator-support services at broader EU scope, providing comparable Route-to-Market, soft-landing, and community-building functions.
• Expertise France: French public agency implementing international technical cooperation projects. Overlaps with SEADE in delivering EU-funded capacity-building and innovation-support programmes in African partner countries, including Bond'Innov-style soft-landing activities.
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ): German federal development agency implementing EU-Africa cooperation programmes, including innovation and digital transformation projects. Comparable as a publicly funded operator of multi-country capacity-building, skills, and ecosystem programmes between Europe and Africa.

Direct peers

• HUBiquitous: Horizon 2020 predecessor project whose stakeholder network and methodologies fed directly into SEADE. It targeted EU-Africa innovation hub cooperation with comparable Route-to-Market support, making it a direct functional peer in the same project lineage.
• AfriConEU: Horizon 2020 sister project connecting digital innovation hubs across Africa and Europe. It operated with a similar EU-Africa digital ecosystem mandate, target audience, and consortium-of-hubs structure, and was recognised at the SEADE R&I Summit as a closely aligned initiative.
• ENRICH in Africa Center: The legacy Horizon 2020 platform and organisation that SEADE explicitly built upon and extended. It hosts the digital community on Bpifrance's EuroQuity and continues operating after SEADE ended, making it the closest functional and institutional peer.

Regional players

• Technology Innovation Agency (TIA): South African public agency bridging research and commercialisation and a SEADE core partner. Comparable in providing route-to-market support, funding pathways, and policy engagement for technology innovators in a single African market.
• Hapa Foundation: Ghanaian foundation supporting youth-led start-ups and STEM skills, serving as SEADE's Ghana pilot lead. Comparable as a regional, mission-driven ecosystem builder delivering bootcamps, soft-landing, and human-centred research at a sub-continental scope.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/seade-project

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about SEADE