Turbine’s first batch of Accelerates graduated on 26 October 2021. The Acceleration Programme is generally open to businesses who are ready to scale and need investment to grow their team, increase their traction and revenue. The Acceleration Programme is usually organised with a cohort of 8 start-ups to allow one to get inspired and motivated by his peers.
Turbine kicked off the first batch of its Acceleration Programme with a Bootcamp at Otentic with 7 of its start-ups who originally started their journey after participating in the Test Drive Programme which lasts around 8 weeks followed by the 12-months Incubation Programme.
Meet the Graduates
Out of 7 start-ups that had been selected to join the Acceleration Programme, only 4 were able to graduate successfully. These start-ups include Katapult founded by Jade Li, Lean Search founded by Noor Sheriff, KonekTwa launched by Adarsh Gujadhur and Metennkoste by Hishaam Ibrahim and Marie Christine Descombes.
1. Katapult
Katapult’s mission is to empower the next generation of inventors, lenders and changemakers. It wants them to have the creative confidence and curiosity to ask WHY and to challenge the status quo. Katapult wants people to test their ideas without fear, to actively look for feedback and to implement their ideas into real-life applications.
The company does that by creating game-based learning experiences and kits in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) for ages 6-18. Jade shares that:
Through Turbine’s Acceleration Programme, Katapult was able to grow the team to 5 people. We also benefitted from Coaching Sessions where we were able to discuss our strategic bets with our coach Fabrice.
2. Lean Search
Lean Search is the first dedicated Search Engine Pay Per Click Ad Agency in Mauritius. It has been launched to service Search Engine Advertising and Search Engine Optimisation exclusively. The start-up provides the Advertiser (Client’s brand) with the know-how to fully manage its Search Engine Ad Campaigns and on behalf of the client, Lean Search manages the creation of campaigns, ad groups, keywords and ad texts to optimise the performance of the account.
The business philosophy of Lean Search is very simple and straightforward. It implements the lean methodology that promotes the flow of value to the customer through two tenets: sustainable continuous improvement and respect for people.
3. KonekTwa
KonekTwa is the first Mauritian Influencer Marketing Platform that helps local brands work with local content creators on social media in a more data-driven manner. The aim of KonekTwa is to professionalise the world of influencers in Mauritius.
KonekTwa has worked with 25+ local brands and has 7 recurring clients since the year 2021.
4. Metennkoste
Metennkoste is the first Mauritian Friendsfunding platform that allows individuals to collect and spend money for a common expense of an event via an online money pot. It makes collecting and managing money from a large number of people hassle-free.
Metennkoste believes that it is improving the traditional way of raising money via its platform and it also intends to bring new features to its website in the upcoming days.
Turbine’s six-month Acceleration Programme has not only provided its start-ups with expertise & coaching but has also provided them with a budget of Rs 150,000 each to enable them to boost their sales and tractions along with funding of MUR 1 Million each from Compass Venture Capital.
