Startups Become Official Vendors of NEC XON Through South Africa’s First JICA NINJA Accelerator.
Johannesburg, February 18, 2025 – Two South African startups, Agrilogiq and Locstat, have officially become NEC XON vendors, marking a major milestone in their growth and industry recognition.
This achievement comes as a direct outcome of the JICA NINJA Accelerator in South Africa – Open Innovation Edition, where they successfully completed a three-month proof-of-concept (PoC) with NEC XON, the pan-African subsidiary of Japan’s tech powerhouse NEC Corporation. Their selection as vendors signals the strength of their solutions and their strategic fit with NEC XON’s innovation roadmap, paving the way for deeper collaboration in Africa.
The two startups headed to Tokyo from January 19th to 25th to meet with decision-makers at NEC Corporation’s Main Headquarters to deepen their relationship, and also relationships with other Japanese Corporations and Investors. Furthermore, a JICA-sponsored event took place on January 23rd, 2025, in one of Tokyo’s key business districts to showcase the startups and their PoCs with NEC XON and guide the Japanese Business Community on how to promote open innovation in Africa.
During Demo Day, Chris Duvenage, Team Leader: Digital Solutions at NEC XON, pointed out how JICA’s NINJA program helped them better understand strategic collaboration with startups as they look forward to working further with Agrilogiq and Locstat to create solutions that not only advance industries but also uplift communities worldwide.
With Agrilogiq, the PoC confirmed the startup’s alignment with NEC’s agricultural initiatives that address food security in Africa and synergies with international partners, paving the way for potential integration and scaling through NEC’s Africa projects.
As for Locstat, the PoC revealed that the startup’s platform enhances NEC systems with seamless data flow and offers strategic synergies in smart infrastructure and urban development using analytics and enhanced monitoring capabilities. Both parties agreed to conduct further testing to validate scalability and explore integration with larger platforms and data sets.
“The fact that this project resulted in tangible outcomes such as letters of intent and onboarding as official vendors, demonstrates that more support is needed to validate strategic fit and take corporate-startup collaboration beyond mere introductions. This was just a first step towards helping unlock the true potential of strategic value and returns for corporates and startups alike. I am hopeful that similar programs will be born from this in the ecosystem” says Yannick Gayama, Managing Director and Head of Programs at Double Feather Partners, the Japan-based Africa-focused VC and consulting firm leading the project on behalf of JICA.
The NINJA Accelerator is a collaborative effort powered by JICA and led by Double Feather Partners, Deloitte Tohmatsu, and supported by local partners and global experts to foster innovation and economic growth in the region. After resounding success in Kenya, the program expanded to South Africa with a new acceleration partner, pan-African tech Accelerator Startupbootcamp AfriTech, and the participation of NEC Corporation’s majority-owned African entity NEC XON.
About JICA
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) coordinates official development assistance for the Japanese government in developing countries and aims to promote international cooperation by supporting the socio-economic development, recovery, or economic stability of emerging economies.
For more info: https://www.jica.go.jp/english/index.html
About Project NINJA
Project NINJA is a JICA initiative to support the establishment and development a ”startup ecosystem” to achieve a situation where innovative startups are continuously and autonomously created and nurtured. JICA intends to collaborate with various stakeholders to strengthen the startup ecosystem, develop entrepreneurship, make policy recommendations, strengthen corporate management capacity, promote collaboration among enterprises across industries, match up with Japanese companies, and promote investment.
For more info: https://www.jica.go.jp/Resource/english/our_work/thematic_issues/private/project_ninja.html
About NEC XON
NEC XON is a leading African integrator of ICT solutions and part of NEC, a Japanese global company. NEC XON has operated in Africa since 1963 and delivers communications, energy, safety, security, and digital solutions. It co-creates social value through innovation to help overcome serious societal challenges. The organisation operates in 54 African countries and has a footprint in 16 of them. Regional headquarters are located in South, East, and West Africa. NEC XON is a level 1-certified broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) business.
For more info: https://www.nec.africa/
About Double Feather Partners
Double Feather Partners (DFP) is a Japan-based, emerging markets-focused, Venture Capital and Startup Ecosystem Engagement consulting firm which provides risk capital, market research, and Startup Ecosystem Engagement consulting services to international organizations, corporations, and government agencies seeking to reach their startup-related goals while achieving socio-economic impact.
For more info: https://doublefeather.com/
Deloitte Tohmatsu Venture Support
Deloitte Tohmatsu Financial Advisory LLC (DTFA) delivers highly specialized financial advisory solutions to Deloitte’s clients facing critical business events and financial transactions where significant value is at stake. FA professionals have the global reach, deep industrial sector knowledge, extensive service capabilities, and experience to help Deloitte’s clients capitalize on opportunities and navigate times of economic uncertainty and disruptive events.
For more info: https://www2.deloitte.com/jp/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/dtvs/dtvs.html
Deloitte Tohmatsu Financial Advisory LLC
Innovation is the key to driving business success and revitalizing the Japanese and the world economies in the 21st century. Deloitte Tohmatsu Venture Support (DTVS)’s mission is to “create the future alongside innovators”, by collaborating with startups, large corporations and government agencies. Main activities include: startup support, consulting for large corporations, open innovation and government agency support.
For more info: https://www2.deloitte.com/jp/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/dtfa/deloitte-tohmatsu-financial-advisory.html
About Startupbootcamp Afritech
Startupbootcamp AfriTech was launched in 2017 as the first multi-corporate-backed pan-African startup accelerator. We run world-class accelerator programs, working with some of the most disruptive startups on the continent. We provide access to our global network of corporate partners, investors, and mentors. The SBC AfriTech portfolio currently has 60 African startups spanning 13 countries and operating in sectors that include FinTech, InsureTech, Logistics, Mobility, AgriTech and Digital Health. With our support, 95% of SBC AfriTech alumni are still operational 2+ years after the program, and they have an aggregate valuation of nearly $1 Billion.
For more info: http://bit.ly/sbcafritech
Media Contacts
| Global Yannick Gayama (Double Feather Partners) yannick.gayama@doublefeather.com | South Africa Jocelyn Nyaguse (StartupBootCamp) jocelyn.nyaguse@startupbootcamp.org |