Techparley Africa has extended the deadline for its flagship #Drive100 Media Accelerator Programme to November 30, 2025, in response to requests from interested founders seeking additional time to complete their applications.
The programme, which empowers African startups to tell their stories and gain visibility on a continental scale, continues to draw attention across the tech ecosystem.
“This additional time is expected to give more founders the opportunity to submit their applications,” said Ridwan Adelaja, Managing Editor at Techparley Africa.
“Our team is pleased to offer this extra window and looks forward to receiving more applications,” he added, appreciating partners for their support.
The initiative, designed to strengthen the link between media and innovation in Africa, has been widely welcomed by entrepreneurs and analysts alike.
Yakub Abdulrasheed, Senior Tech Writer and Analyst at Techparley Africa, described the accelerator as a landmark opportunity for the continent’s innovators.
“Anyone that has anything to offer with tech has everything to do with the Techparley Africa’s Drive100 Media Accelerator Programme for all the benefits it promises to deliver for founders’ and startups’ visibility and growth,” Abdulrasheed said.
What’s Drive100 Media Accelerator
The Drive100 Media Accelerator Programme is an ambitious initiative built to help African startups, founders, and tech-enabled businesses gain stronger media presence and global attention.
It offers participants exclusive media spotlight, strategic storytelling support, and free professional training aimed at helping them tell their brand stories effectively.
Unlike traditional accelerators that focus primarily on funding, Drive100 is built around visibility and communication, the lifeblood of a brand’s survival in the digital economy.
Participants are coached on how to create compelling narratives that resonate with their audiences, attract investors, and expand their customer base.
The programme empowers founders to own their narratives, define their brand voice, and amplify their reach through coordinated media exposure.
Techparley Africa: The Drive Behind Drive100
Techparley Africa, a fast-rising media and technology platform, is the visionary force behind the Drive100 initiative. Renowned for its in-depth analysis of Africa’s tech landscape, Techparley has carved a niche as a bridge between innovation and communication.
The platform consistently spotlights how technology intersects with economy, governance, and social development, while creating opportunities for collaboration and storytelling.
Under the leadership of Managing Editor Ridwan Adelaja, Techparley has transformed from a tech news outlet into a platform shaping narratives around African innovation.
Drive100 is therefore not just a programme, it is an extension of Techparley’s mission to give innovators the media leverage they need to grow, scale, and thrive globally.
Through this accelerator, the organisation aims to turn Africa’s tech founders into household names and industry voices by promoting their work on a continental stage.
Reasons for the New Deadline
The extension to November 30, 2025, was introduced after Techparley received multiple requests from potential applicants who said they needed more time to prepare quality submissions.
“The extension follows feedback from potential applicants who needed more time to prepare their submissions,” Adelaja explained.
This decision highlights Techparley’s inclusive and flexible approach to nurturing innovation. Rather than shutting out potential candidates due to timing constraints, the organisation chose to ensure that every qualified founder, regardless of their location or resources, has a fair opportunity to participate.
The extra time is also expected to help startups from remote or underrepresented tech communities across Africa complete their applications, further broadening the diversity of participants in the 2025 cohort.
What Drive100 Aims to Achieve
The core objective of the Drive100 Media Accelerator Programme is to identify, train, and amplify 100 promising African startups by providing them with storytelling mastery, brand strategy tools, and access to media visibility.
Through this initiative, Techparley hopes to help startups:
- Showcase their innovations and inspire others through compelling storytelling;
- Attract potential investors and business partners through increased visibility;
- Expand their customer reach and market presence; and
- Learn media optimisation, marketing, and brand positioning techniques that sustain long-term growth.
Participants will also join a collaborative network of innovators, content strategists, and tech journalists, enabling them to learn from peers while gaining global exposure.
Ultimately, Drive100 seeks to create a generation of founders who understand that visibility is as powerful as innovation itself.
How to Apply
Applications are open to founders of tech startups, owners of tech-enabled businesses, and Africans or entrepreneurs with startups operating within Africa.
Interested applicants are encouraged to visit official Drive100 Accelerator Programme page at https://techparley.com/drive100/ to submit their entries before the new deadline of November 30, 2025.
Applicants are expected to showcase their company’s innovation, media-readiness, and impact potential. Techparley’s evaluation team will assess each application based on originality, scalability, and storytelling value.
Successful candidates will receive hands-on media mentorship, brand optimisation support, and opportunities to feature on high-impact digital platforms.
Why It Matters
In Africa’s booming startup ecosystem, visibility can make or break a business. While funding and innovation remain crucial, many startups struggle to attract investors and customers simply because their stories remain untold.
The Drive100 Media Accelerator seeks to close this gap by empowering founders to communicate their value, connect with global audiences, and shape public perception.
As Yakub Abdulrasheed aptly puts it:
“anyone that has anything to offer with tech has everything to do with Techparley Africa’s Drive100 Media Accelerator Programme.”
His statement encapsulates the spirit of the initiative, a recognition that Africa’s innovators don’t just need great ideas, but also great platforms to be heard.
