Ugandan tech startup TWave selected for Qualcomm’s 2026 Africa mentorship program

KAMPALA, Uganda — A Ugandan aquaculture tech startup is among 10 African companies selected for the 2026 Qualcomm Make in Africa mentorship program, a move expected to boost the country’s growing reputation for hardware innovation.

TWave Ltd., a firm developing automated, solar-powered fish feeding systems, was named to the fourth cohort of the initiative. The company was selected from a record pool of more than 1,200 applicants representing 45 countries across the continent.

The program, run by the San Diego-based semiconductor giant Qualcomm Inc., provides early-stage startups with technical training in advanced fields like edge artificial intelligence, 5G and the internet of things.

Wassim Chourbaji, Qualcomm’s president for the Middle East and Africa, said the 2026 selections demonstrate an increasing level of technical sophistication among African founders. He noted that the startups are increasingly focused on moving perception and decision-making onto affordable, local hardware.

For TWave and its counterparts, the program offers more than just prestige. Each participant receives a $5,000 stipend upon completion and access to 1:1 engineering consultations to refine their products. Qualcomm also provides legal support for intellectual property, offering up to $5,000 in reimbursements for startups that file for patents during the cycle.

The focus on agricultural technology is a central theme of this year’s cohort. Alongside Uganda’s fish-feeding solution, the group includes a Ghanaian cocoa quality assessment tool and solar-powered cold storage systems from the Republic of the Congo. Other participants are developing electric vehicle infrastructure in Namibia and assistive robotics in Kenya.

John Omo, secretary-general of the African Telecommunications Union, which partnered with Qualcomm for the fourth year, said the initiative is designed to ensure cutting-edge technology is placed directly in the hands of those solving regional challenges.

The mentorship phase will utilize hardware from Arduino, a Qualcomm-owned company. Fabio Violante, general manager of Arduino, said the tools provided will help founders move from ideas to intelligent machines that can be deployed directly in farms and factories.

At the end of the program, one startup will be awarded an additional grant from the Qualcomm for Good Social Impact Fund.