Telkom FutureMakers, in partnership with Disraptor and the UK-South Africa Tech Hub, will be launching an AI Growth Catalyst programme on 30 January 2026.

The programme is a fully funded six-month accelerator designed to help South African, Black-owned ICT SMMEs adopt and effectively scale with AI through skills training, tools and networks.

“By investing in the digital sector, we are helping to safeguard future livelihoods and laying the groundwork for innovation. Telkom is proud to be involved in the AI Catalyst Growth Programme alongside our partners,” said Telkom’s Group Chief Digital Officer, Sello Mmakau.

The AI Catalyst Growth Programme is a high-impact strategic partnership which will connect local startups to UK expertise, contributing to long-term AI ecosystem development. Tech accelerator Disraptor will deliver the training, with funding from Telkom and the UK-South Africa Tech Hub, an initiative of the United Kingdom government.

Participating businesses benefit from embedded engineering for data automation, cloud infrastructure and AI-readiness. They also receive corporate and investor readiness support, including technical due diligence and a curated investor demo day, with founder wellness and leadership coaching. It is fully funded, with no fees or equity required.

Ten local startups have already been selected to take part as the first cohort. They are: Atomic AI, Kasi Money, KasiDel Marketplace, Khoi Tech, Legal Ascend, Real PPE, SpaceSalad Studios, The Awareness Company, Visionary Writings, and WaFunda.

To be considered, Black-owned businesses had to be ICT-focused, with at least one technical team member and annual turnover of up to R50 million, including pre-revenue businesses.

FutureMakers is a flagship Telkom programme focused on enterprise and supplier development. It aims to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship by strengthening digital inclusion. Over the past ten years, more than 2 600 businesses have received support from FutureMakers.