12 Ethiopian Startups Crack Timbuktoo’s Top 40 as $1B Innovation Drive Unlocks ManuTech Cohort

A dozen Ethiopian startups cracked the top 40 in the first manufacturing technologies (Manutech) cohort of the $1 billion timbuktoo initiative. Out of 640 applications from 52 countries, 40 startups from 13 African nations were selected to participate in the program's Manutech-themed iteration last week. The Addis-Ababa hub launched in November is one of ten sector-specific hubs under the ambitious Pan-African drive backed by the United Nations Development Program and the timbuktoo Africa Innovation Foundation.

MedFab Ethiopia, Herbal/Anti-microbial spa manufacturing, Plant AgriBusiness, Debo Engineering, Robox Robotic & AI Center, Bina Products, Machinoval Manufacturing company, Handmade pro, Selfmade cloud Solutions, Selale Electrical and Solar Recycle Motorcycle company, Desalegn Dibaba General Purpose Machine producer, and Bambo Labs Plc are the Ethiopian startups which got accepted to the manufacturing Acceleration Program. The remaining startups hail from 12 other African countries.

The selected startups will receive a three-month hybrid acceleration experience, including mentorship, a chance at equity-free funding of up to $20,000, and access to networks within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the broader UN system.​

The ManuTech Hub is part of the broader timbuktoo initiative, which seeks to establish thematic innovation hubs across Africa. Other hubs include the FinTech Hub in Lagos, Nigeria (focusing on financial technology solutions); the HealthTech Hub in Kigali, Rwanda; the GreenTech Hub in Nairobi, Kenya; the E-commerce Hub in Cairo, Egypt; and the AgriTech Hub in Accra, Ghana, among others. The ManuTech Hub call for applications was announced during a public consultation on Ethiopia’s startup proclamation a few months back. Addis Ababa’s selection as a Manutech Hub is closely aligned with the country’s ambition to become a light manufacturing hub in Africa.

The overarching goal of timbuktoo, over ten years, is to mobilize $1 billion to support 10,000 startups and scale 1,000 of them (or ventures), aiming to transform 100 million livelihoods and create 10 million dignified jobs across the continent.