The Merck Accelerator has launched a second edition of its Satellite Programme in Cape Town after successfully concluding the inaugural version in Nairobi.

The Merck Accelerator Nairobi Satellite Programme, hosted in partnership with Mettā Nairobi, saw 10 startups take part in a four-day coaching and mentoring bootcamp in May.

Respiratory illness diagnostic tool Tambua Intelligent Diagnostics was named overall winner at an event earlier this month, receiving a US$3,000 cash prize and a trip to Merck’s Germany-based Innovation Centre.

The second series of the Satellite Programme events will take place in Cape Town, in partnership with MEST Africa. Merck is focusing on startups located in Southern Africa that present innovative solutions aligned with its focus areas of healthcare, life science, performance materials, and other business fields such as bio-sensing and interfaces, healthcare access solutions and precision farming.

Applications are open until July 20, with the winning teams of the programme’s events standing to benefit from cash prizes of US$3,000 and six-to-12 months of sponsored membership at the MEST Cape Town Incubator. They will also be invited on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Innovation Centre in Darmstadt, to pitch their ideas and gain the opportunity to collaborate with Merck.

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