BantuLab — Congo-Brazzaville's First Equity-Financing Start-up Accelerator

In 2026, the BantuHub Foundation — led by Congolese entrepreneur Vérone Mankou, creator of the 2011 'Way-C', one of Africa's first locally designed tablets — partnered with L'Archer Group, led by chairman Gilles Tchamba, to launch BantuLab, a start-up accelerator in Brazzaville built around direct equity investment rather than grants or training alone. The partners committed roughly €1 million (about 655 million CFA francs) to finance two selected companies a year for 24 months each of equity financing, strategic and operational guidance, and access to L'Archer's investor network, targeting fintech, artificial intelligence and high-value business and government services.
BantuLab closed its first selection on 24 January 2026 and formally admitted its first winner, Smartmbongo — a digital financial-services aggregator co-founded by Régis Dilou and Elwin Gomo — on 4 February 2026 at the Tours Jumelles offices in Brazzaville; a second cohort was scheduled to open applications on 1 July 2026.
Because the programme only began operating in 2026, there is no outcome evidence yet on whether its portfolio companies grow, survive or create jobs; its current evidence base covers commitment, governance and process (funding committed, selection completed, first company admitted) rather than results. Congo-Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo) had no prior equity-financing accelerator of this kind, making the model itself — if it endures — a potential first for the country's tech ecosystem.

Read the full analysis: https://born2invest.com/articles/bantuhub-larcher-group-congolese-startups/