Ninety One is proud to announce the companies selected for the 2026 cohort of the Ninety One Accelerator in support of the Earthshot Prize. Working in partnership with Endeavor South Africa, the programme supports high-growth founders building innovative, impactful and commercially scalable solutions to environmental and social challenges across South Africa and beyond.
Ninety One launched the Accelerator in 2025, supporting five climate solutions and their entrepreneurial founders in the inaugural cohort. The objective was to support solutions working to solve for climate innovation through commercially oriented businesses and to prepare them for further investment and scaling.
In 2026, Ninety One broadened its search, seeking businesses solving for both positive climate and/or socio-economic impact through commercial solutions. To support this expanded approach, Ninety One partnered with Endeavor SA, leveraging their deep expertise in entrepreneur support and mentorship through their vast network.
Selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants, the three companies selected for the 2026 cohort represent diverse impact solutions addressing critical challenges in South Africa and across the African continent.
The programme empowers some of SA’s most promising growth ventures with tailored support through Endeavor’s global network and Ninety One’s support. These entrepreneurs will gain access to the necessary tools to fast track their growth by connecting them to world-class entrepreneurs and global industry experts within Endeavor’s network, providing on-demand tailored mentoring, commercial introductions and investor networking opportunities amongst other bespoke support.
The 2026 Cohort:
Timbuk2 AI
South Africa & Emerging Markets| Mapping data deserts & economic inclusion
Timbuk2 AI is a Cape Town-based AI company building intelligence platforms that make the physical economy measurable and data-driven, particularly in emerging markets. The company mobilises untapped human capital through a decentralised, gamified data capturing and validation approach. By turning fragmented real-world activity into defensible, evidence-based insights, Timbuk2 AI enables better investment, pricing, and decision-making in data-scarce environments, whilst removing the barriers for economic inclusion in the same environments.
GoBuddy
South Africa | Sustainable Logistics & Inclusive Growth
GoBuddy is a sustainable last-mile delivery platform that matches e-commerce parcels with ordinary commuters already traveling in that direction, creating an affordable, efficient, and low-emission alternative to traditional courier services. The company’s hybrid model expands delivery access into townships, informal economies, and rural areas while creating income opportunities for gig workers. By leveraging existing mobility patterns, GoBuddy reduces logistics costs and carbon emissions while building inclusive economic participation.
AskMandla
South Africa | Social Impact & Fair Work
AskMandla is a WhatsApp-based HR and payroll platform that makes domestic worker employment clear, legal, and fair. The company simplifies compliance for household employers by automating employment contracts, payroll processing, leave tracking, and UIF (Unemployment Insurance Fund) registration. By digitising and standardising domestic employment, AskMandla ensures domestic workers are paid fairly, treated legally, and protected under South African labour law, while reducing administrative burden for employers.
Narassa Govender, CSI Director, NinetyOne, said: “Innovation is not enough to drive commercial solutions to some of our most pressing challenges. Entrepreneurs need networks, access to capital, structure, and support to scale. That is the thinking behind the Ninety One Accelerator. We are excited to be partnering with Endeavor to identify and nurture the next generation of impact entrepreneurs who are building commercially viable solutions to environmental and social challenges. AskMandla, GoBuddy and Timbuk2 AI’s leadership exemplify the calibre of founders we are looking for: ambitious, innovative, and deeply committed to creating positive change while building sustainable businesses.”
Alison Collier, Managing Director, Endeavor South Africa: “High-growth entrepreneurship is one of the most exciting frontiers in business today. The founders we see applying to this programme are not just building highly scalable commercial businesses, they are solving some of the world’s most critical challenges. We are thrilled to welcome this cohort into the Endeavor network and to connect them with the mentors, investors, and peers who can help them scale their impact and their business simultaneously.”