Innovate Now
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersNairobi, Kenya
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Innovate Now does
Innovate Now operates a cohort-based venture accelerator for early-stage startups building assistive technology (AT) solutions for persons with disabilities, primarily across Africa but also reaching the UK and USA. The program is delivered free of charge to selected founders and combines three integrated components: an Active Learning curriculum taught over six weeks covering user, market, product, and business development modules; a Live Labs platform managed by Kilimanjaro Blind Trust Africa where startups rapidly prototype and validate iterations with real-time feedback from persons with disabilities and domain experts; and a structured mentorship and investor-readiness track that culminates in a Demo Day showcase. Since inception in 2019, the program has run 10 cohorts supporting over 90 ventures led by more than 100 entrepreneurs across 11 countries, with a portfolio spanning mobility devices, hearing aids, vision tools, communication platforms, sanitation, and employment solutions.
The organization is a non-profit accelerator with no equity stake in portfolio companies. Revenue is derived entirely from grant funding, initially £1.5 million from UK Aid's £40 million AT2030 programme (administered by founding parent Global Disability Innovation Hub) and subsequently from NORAD and ICT Norway following a 2022 partnership restructure. Program implementation is delivered through a consortium including Kilimanjaro Blind Trust Africa, AT4D, and previously Amref Health Africa. Customer acquisition relies on open cohort applications combined with partner referrals from implementing partners across the African continent.
Core team is small (Director, Accelerator Manager, Mentor & Investor Network Coordinator, Norway Network Lead, and Investor Linkage Associate), with broader delivery supported by the GDI Hub research and network infrastructure. The go-to-market motion is event-driven (open cohort applications, Demo Day investor showcases) layered with community-led engagement through fireside chats, keynotes, and an alumni network. The Cohort 11 program in 2026 introduces the HackAbility AI for Accessibility Innovation Challenge as a new programmatic strand, signaling a deliberate pivot toward AI-enabled AT.
Innovate Now firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Innovate Now
- Legal name
- Innovate Now
- Website
- https://atinnovatenow.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Innovate Now industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Startup Accelerator Services
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC), Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB), Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM)
Keywords
Where Innovate Now is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nairobi
- HQ country
- Kenya
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
Innovate Now business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Grant Funding: Innovate Now is a non-profit accelerator funded by government development agencies. Primary funding from NORAD, UK Aid through AT2030 programme, and partnerships with GDI Hub, ICT Norway.
- Program Services (Free to Participants): The accelerator program is free for selected startups. Provides entrepreneurship education, coaching, mentoring, access to funding, and Live Labs platform at no cost to participants.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Multi-year contract | Free Accelerator Program |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Innovate Now product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Innovate Now runs Africa's first Assistive Technology (AT) Venture Accelerator program, providing selected AT startups with a free cohort-based package of entrepreneurship education, an Active Learning curriculum, mentorship from AT and business experts, Live Labs user-testing infrastructure, and Demo Day investor linkage. The program is designed to help early-stage AT founders design, launch, and scale inclusive solutions for persons with disabilities across Africa and beyond.
Product overview
Innovate Now is Africa's leading Assistive Technology (AT) Accelerator program, not a product company. It operates as a venture accelerator that provides a comprehensive support system for AT startups including the core AT Accelerator Program with inclusive innovation curriculum, Live Labs platform for user testing, mentorship network, and Demo Day showcase events. The program equips AT startups with knowledge, tools, and resources to design, launch, and scale inclusive solutions that improve lives of persons with disabilities across Africa.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Assistive Technology Accelerator Program A free, cohort-based venture acceleration program that provides selected Assistive Technology startup founders with entrepreneurship and innovation education, an Active Learning curriculum, mentorship, Live Labs user testing, and Demo Day investor linkage to design, launch, and scale inclusive AT solutions for persons with disabilities across Africa.
- Demo Day Investor Showcase An end-of-cohort showcase event where selected AT startups pitch their businesses and products to a panel of judges and an audience of investors and partners, creating connections for funding and collaboration opportunities.
Quantifiable outcome
- 10 successful cohorts delivered since 2019
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Innovate Now
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Innovate Now technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Innovate Now partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Access AustriaminorMOU signed to drive impact across startup space by building inclusive ecosystem through knowledge sharing and support for founders from Innovate Now and The Accessible Technology Incubator Austria.
- Hilfsgemeinschaft der Blinden und Sehschwächen ÖsterreichsminorAustrian organization collaborating with Innovate Now and Access Austria through MOU to accelerate AT innovation in Africa.
- Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub)coreGDI Hub is the founding organization behind Innovate Now. It provides the Active Learning curriculum, research capacity, and global network. GDI Hub leads the AT2030 programme of which Innovate Now is a key component. The relationship is co-developmental with shared mission to drive disability innovation.
- Kilimanjaro Blind Trust AfricacoreLead implementing partner for Live Labs component. KBTA delivers the Live Labs network where startups test products with persons with disabilities. Also serves as the new lead implementing partner for Innovate Now.
- Assistive Technologies for Disability Trust (AT4D)coreImplementing partner providing AT startup founders with comprehensive support system including entrepreneurship education, coaching, and mentoring.
- Amref Health AfricacoreLead implementing partner from 2019-2021. Amref Enterprises Limited (AEL) delivered the accelerator program with deep understanding of healthcare sector across Africa.
- ICT NorwaycorePartnership for current phase of Innovate Now bringing Norwegian technology and innovation expertise to support AT startups in Africa.
- AT2030 Programmecore£40 million UK Aid funded program led by GDI Hub. Innovate Now was launched as part of AT2030 which aims to reach over 3 million people through testing new approaches to get AT to those who need it.
- Inclusive Innovation Network (+N)coreGlobal community of innovators, accelerators and investors dedicated to growing impact of technology on disability inclusion. Innovate Now is a founding member. Aims to connect global ecosystem of partners who shape future technologies that lower barriers to disability inclusion.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Innovate Now competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- iHub (Nairobi): iHub is a leading Nairobi-based tech innovation hub and incubator. It shares geography with Innovate Now, similar venture-building infrastructure, and runs programs for African tech founders, though iHub serves a broader startup base rather than AT-specialized ventures.
- Social Enterprise Academy (Africa programmes): Social Enterprise Academy runs entrepreneurship and venture-building programs across Africa and other emerging markets. Comparable in providing structured learning, mentorship, and accelerator support for social entrepreneurs, though it is broader sectorally and headquartered in Scotland.
Direct peers
- Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB): CcHUB is Africa's largest innovation hub, running multiple accelerator and incubation programs for tech startups across the continent. Like Innovate Now, it is investor/funder-operated, runs cohort-based programs, and targets African founders — though CcHUB is sector-agnostic rather than AT-specialized.
- BFA Global (Catalyst Fund): BFA Global runs Catalyst Fund, an accelerator for inclusive fintech and emerging-market startups. It is comparable in its cohort-based model, donor funding (FCDO/Gates), founder support structure, and emerging-market focus, though its vertical is fintech rather than AT.
- Villgro Africa: Villgro Africa is an impact investor and incubator supporting early-stage social enterprises in healthcare, energy, and inclusion across Africa. It is comparable to Innovate Now as a grant/funded accelerator serving African founders in inclusion-aligned sectors with mentorship, seed capital, and incubation support.
- Inclusive Innovation Network (+N): Inclusive Innovation Network (+N) is a global community of innovators, accelerators, and investors dedicated to disability inclusion, of which Innovate Now is a founding member. It is a direct peer organization in mission and structure, focused on growing the impact of technology on disability inclusion.
Broad incumbents
- Intellecap / Sankalp Forum: Intellecap operates the Sankalp Forum and runs impact-focused accelerator and investment programs across emerging markets including Africa. Comparable as a donor-backed impact accelerator serving social enterprises with funding access, though it operates at a broader sectoral and geographic scale.
- GSMA Innovation Fund: GSMA Innovation Fund runs mobile-tech-for-development grant programs for startups in emerging markets, including inclusion-focused cohorts. Comparable in donor-funded cohort model, mobile/AT focus areas, and emerging-market founder base, though it operates within mobile rather than general AT.
- ATscale Global Partnership for Assistive Technology: ATscale is a cross-sector global partnership hosted at UNICEF focused on increasing access to assistive technology. It is comparable in mission and AT focus but operates as a policy/funding umbrella rather than a direct accelerator; represents a potential funder or partner for Innovate Now.
- Impact Hub: Impact Hub operates a global network of impact-focused incubators and accelerators across more than 100 locations. It is comparable in its venture-building support model, accelerator cohort structure, and mission-driven funding mix, but operates at much broader scale and across more sectors.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Innovate Now social profiles
Digital presenceInnovate Now financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Innovate Now leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Innovate Now funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Innovate Now M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments8 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Innovate Now
What does Innovate Now do?
Innovate Now runs Africa's first Assistive Technology (AT) Venture Accelerator program, providing selected AT startups with a free cohort-based package of entrepreneurship education, an Active Learning curriculum, mentorship from AT and business experts, Live Labs user-testing infrastructure, and Demo Day investor linkage. The program is designed to help early-stage AT founders design, launch, and scale inclusive solutions for persons with disabilities across Africa and beyond.
Is Innovate Now a public or private company?
Innovate Now is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Innovate Now founded?
Innovate Now was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Innovate Now based?
Innovate Now is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, in the Africa region.
How does Innovate Now make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Grant Funding is the primary driver. The others are program Services (Free to Participants).
Who are Innovate Now's main competitors?
Regional players on record are iHub (Nairobi) and Social Enterprise Academy (Africa programmes). Direct peers are Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB), BFA Global (Catalyst Fund), Villgro Africa and Inclusive Innovation Network (+N). Broad incumbents are Intellecap / Sankalp Forum, GSMA Innovation Fund, ATscale Global Partnership for Assistive Technology and Impact Hub.
Does Innovate Now have an API?
No public API is recorded for Innovate Now.
What industry is Innovate Now in?
Innovate Now's product category is Startup Accelerator Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated), with a secondary code of EDAMAHAC, Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators. Its NAICS code is 611430 and its SIC code is 8200.