Ruka, the African technology company behind SmartChat, has been selected as one of only 10 startups for the 2025 Google for Startups Accelerator: South Africa, a program supporting high-impact companies using technology to transform the continent.
The accelerator, which runs until December 2025, gives Ruka’s team direct access to Google engineers, AI experts, and product mentors to strengthen SmartChat’s infrastructure, scale its AI models, and expand its reach across the continent.
“Small businesses are the heart of Africa,” says Ronald Magondo, co-founder and chief growth officer of Ruka. “They create jobs, drive growth, and inspire resilience. With SmartChat, we are making advanced digital tools simple, affordable, and built for the way business actually happens here.”
At the core of SmartChat is Echo, Ruka’s digital right hand for small businesses across Africa. Echo helps entrepreneurs manage customers, automate conversations, and run their businesses through WhatsApp, giving them the power to operate faster, smarter, and more professionally without the cost or complexity of enterprise tools.
“Echo gives Africa’s small businesses the edge,” says Dean Kabasa, co-founder and chief operating officer of Ruka. “It is smart, simple, and human, built for how business really happens on this continent.”
Through the Google for Startups Accelerator, Ruka will refine Echo’s intelligence, strengthen its cloud infrastructure, and scale SmartChat to reach more small businesses across Africa. The program gives Ruka access to Google’s global network of experts and tools to help accelerate product development and adoption.
“This opportunity allows us to push our technology further and bring world-class AI to African businesses,” says Bongani Mtimkulu, Ruka’s co-founder and chief technical officer. “With Google’s support, we can make SmartChat faster, smarter, and more accessible, helping small businesses use AI to compete on a global level.”