Google Reopens South Africa Accelerator With R1 Million Non-Dilutive Per Startup, Prioritising HDP-Owned AI Founders

Google has reopened applications for its 2026 Google for Startups Accelerator South Africa, offering up to R1 million per startup in non-dilutive funding to 15 growth-stage, AI-driven South African companies — with an explicit priority for South African–led, historically disadvantaged person (HDP)-owned or controlled ventures. The 2026 cohort operationalizes the commitment James Manyika, Google’s Senior Vice-President for Research, Labs, Technology and Society, made at Google Cloud Summit in Joh