Editor’s note: African-Startups is a sister publication of EU-Startups, bringing trusted coverage of startups, venture capital, and innovation across Africa.
The Stellar Development Foundation and CV Labs have selected 10 startups for the inaugural cohort of the Stellar x CV Labs Accelerator, a 12-week programme for early-stage teams building in payments, DeFi, and real-world assets across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and the US.
Each startup may receive up to $150k in XLM development funding, plus access to perks worth over $200k, mentorship from more than 50 industry experts, and investor introductions.
The programme includes an in-person bootcamp in Cape Town in August, concluding with a live Demo Day at the Stellar Meridian conference in Lisbon in October 2026.
“The quality of this inaugural cohort reflects how quickly blockchain is transforming financial infrastructure. These founders are building solutions that address genuine market needs from cross-border payments to digital asset access and trade finance,” said Jose Fernandez da Ponte, president and chief growth officer of the Stellar Development Foundation.
Here are 3 startups selected from Africa:
JoonaPay
HQ: Côte d’Ivoire
JoonaPay is a digital finance platform for payments, spend management, and banking in Francophone West Africa.
Kutana Technologies
HQ: Ghana
Kutana Pay provides B2B cross-border payment services in Africa. The company, incorporated in the UK, Ghana, and Nigeria, aims to address the challenges associated with moving money in Sub-Saharan Africa. It offers solutions like multi-currency wallets and Trade Secure to support SMEs, exporters, and financial institutions. Payments can settle in 4 seconds, with funds held in escrow until terms are met. The company has also been selected for JPMorgan’s Financial Futures Programme in 2025.
Yolat
HQ: Nigeria
Yolat is a platform designed for users to send and receive money internationally with ease. It focuses on facilitating quick transactions so that individuals can support their loved ones without delays. The platform also offers competitive currency rates, helping to ensure that more of the money sent goes to the intended recipients rather than to fees.
The programme is open to early-stage startups based in or serving Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, with a focus on teams building in DeFi, payments, and real-world assets. Startups building on other chains are also eligible if they are interested in working with Stellar’s tech stack, said the company.
The 12-week programme runs across four phases:
- The first phase covers vision refinement, project roadmapping, mentor matching, and goal setting.
- Phases two and three focus on building and fundraising, with expert support for technical implementation, tokenomics, marketing, business development, and legal, as well as pitch deck refinement, fundraising strategy, and investor exposure.
- The final phase culminates in a live Demo Day at the Stellar Meridian conference in Lisbon, where founders present to VCs, angel investors, and crypto operators. Support continues beyond the programme’s end.
“We are looking specifically for early-stage teams with an unfair competitive advantage, whether it comes to jurisdiction, team background, or having already found PMF,” said the company
