Timbuktoo Fintech Accelerator Demo Day

On July 17th, 2025, the Timbuktoo Fintech Accelerator Programme held its highly anticipated Demo Day, a virtual showcase streamed to a global audience of investors, ecosystem partners, and media. With over 484 attendees tuning in, the event highlighted the strength, creativity, and scale-readiness of Africa’s emerging fintech ecosystem.

The day opened with powerful keynotes from the Group Head of Africa Fintech Foundry (AFF), a UNDP representative, and the CEO of the Timbuktoo Foundation, setting the tone for a day of inspiration and opportunity. This was followed by a snapshot of the accelerator journey, storytelling from the cohort, and a dynamic panel session with investors and ecosystem leaders.

At the heart of the event were the pitch presentations from 19 startups, each showcasing solutions designed to address Africa’s most pressing financial challenges. Attendees had the opportunity to engage directly with the founders through a lively Q&A session.

The Demo Day did not end with pitches, it sparked tangible opportunities for the participating startups:

• 4 leading venture capital firms — Norskenn22, The Catalyst Fund, GreenHouse Capital, and Village Capital — formally engaged the timbuktoo fintech organizing team, requesting full pitch decks of all startups for deeper evaluation.

• 4 Startup Support Organizations — Vontech Africa (AWS partner), Cybvergent, Urban Effect, and Centric Platforms — committed to providing technical, cybersecurity, brand strategy, and digital infrastructure support.

• 1 Innovation Hub — Future Africa — also pledged to extend post-acceleration support to help the cohort scale beyond the program.

The success of this Demo Day underscores the role of timbuktoo in connecting African founders to the resources, networks, and capital they need to grow resilient, impactful ventures. It also reinforces the vision of UNDP and Africa Fintech Foundry to build a thriving ecosystem where African fintechs not only survive but lead globally.

With the strong investor interest and extended ecosystem support secured during this Demo Day, the timbuktoo fintech cohort is well-positioned to scale, innovate, and redefine the future of finance on the continent.