Organizers of the annual Africa Tech Festival have announced the top 10 finalists for this year’s event, including five Kenyan ventures. The event will take place between November 14 and 16, 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa.
In a statement on Friday, October 27, the organizers said the winner will represent Africa continent in the global finals of the Startup World Cup taking place in the USA on December 1,2023.
Moreover, the Festival organizers said the ultimate prize of the Startup World Cup will be $1 million (Ksh.150 million) investments.
While making the announcement, James Williams, Senior Director Informa Tech Connecting Africa Events said selecting the winner who will fly Africa’s flag will be a hard task since Africa’s talent is abundant and diverse, and this is clearly represented in this broad array of finalists.
“Congratulations to everyone who entered. We called for the continent’s brightest, most inspiring founders to apply to help build the African innovation ecosystem and they certainly delivered,” he said.
Moreover, AfricaIgnite Pitch Competition judge Keshni Morar said what she will be looking for the granular detail in the presentations, with a demonstrable understanding of the market in which the start-up is looking to play or is already active.
“Like every other serious investor out there, I look for the coherence between the pitch story and the data points. If it’s not there, there’s no chance of us getting involved,” said Morar.
Kenyan Companies in Africa World Cup
In the top 10 list is AsaanaPay payments and rewards platform which has its headquarters in Kenya.
AsaanaPay deals with minority owned businesses enabling offline and online payments and unrestricted cash back rewards to attract and retain customers.
Further, Asaana facilitates local and global payments through a variety of channels from mobile wallets and traditional banks to everything in between.
Also, on the list of Kenyan ventures in the race is Tausi App which connects beauticians to clients and provides professional hair and make-up and other services.
Also Read: Kenyan Named 9th Most Powerful Black Person in the UK
Tausi App makes clients feel fabulous, with a rating system and in-depth onboarding process that is simple to use.
The app that headquartered in Kenya with more than six thousand registered beauticians on their books and having helped more than 20 000 clients.
Ukwenza VR which focuses on creating educational Virtual Reality (VR) content to complement classroom learning and offer additional learning in Kenya is among the top 10 Startups.
Additionally, Ukwenza works with schools and educators to create and deliver the content to ensure it meets learning standards that serve the community.
Another Kenyan based startup, BenaCare social enterprise, which delivers affordable clinical and supportive care to patients with life limiting illnesses at the comfort of their own homes was included in the top ten list.
Nairobi-based Kyanda Africa provides safe and easy access to financial and related services simultaneously in an affordable, efficient, and transparent manner for all at all times.
Kyanda made it to the top ten due to its seamless payment solutions with easy financial reach.
Moreover, Kyanda is on a mission to drive down the number of unbanked and underbanked people across the continent.
South & Nigeria Represented
Nigeria based Bus54 also made it to the top ten finalist list.
Bus54 is a mobility technology company providing a platform to aggregate intercity bus transportation within the African continent.
It allows passengers to search, compare, book, and manage their journeys online.
Moreover, the platform enables transport operators to manage their end-to-end operations from a secure portal with no need for additional investment in IT software or hardware, and an additional channel to sell their tickets.
South Africa will be represented by the Delta Scan, a specialist engineering inspection, digitization, and BIM company.
The company strives to digitize the world to create powerful analytical 3D models to extract engineering value.
Further, it aims to improve efficiency, bring down costs, and provide comprehensive information to make better informed decisions.
Job matching and recruitment software Oneway will also compete for glory at the finals in Cape Town.
Oneway is a cutting- prioritizing cultural alignment that is shaping the future of hiring with a mission of creating a fair candidate experience.
With a simple click, jobseekers are seamlessly connected to their ideal roles while assessments empower employers to truly understand candidates’ potential beyond mere keywords.
Also Read: Kenyan Appointed to UN Advisory Body on AI
Other Start-Ups Nominated
Moreover, Hippocampus Education is also preparing to compete at the finals alongside the other Startups.
Hippocampus is an adaptive tutoring Facebook Messenger bot that provides differentiated instruction and instant feedback that is customized to meet each individual’s learning needs.
It acts as a liaison between the lecturer and the student or between the tutor and the student, supporting in assessment activities, facilitating a learning environment that meets each student’s learning needs, and provides positive and constructive feedback on the progress and performance of the student.
Gradlinc which acts as a link between graduates and employers will also be contesting to represent Africa continent in the Startups world cup.
It helps prepare graduates for the workplace from helping with CVs to creating personal brands and is free to graduates.
About Startup World Cup
Startup World Cup is a global conference and competition with the goal of bridging start-up ecosystems worldwide.
The competition gives start-up companies from all over the world a chance to win a US $1,000,000 prize in the form of an investment.
This year, there will be more than fifty regional events across North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, leading up to the Grand Finale in San Francisco in September. Startup World Cup is organized by Pegasus Tech Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based global venture capital firm.
Africa Tech Festival 2023
Africa Tech Festival, including anchor events AfricaCom, AfricaTech and AfricaIgnite is part of the Informa Tech Connecting Africa event series.
A vibrant celebration of Africa’s diverse community of tech champions, the Festival is the largest tech and digital connectivity conference and exhibition in Africa, attracting hundreds of exhibitors, more than four hundred speakers and more than 15000 delegates.
Key themes for 2023 continue to explore the creation and sustainability of a connected Africa and the impact this can have for the people of the continent but also the commercial prospects for local and global businesses and governments.
Additionally, the topics will include Telcos of Tomorrow, Connecting the Next Billion, Digital Infrastructure Investment, Sustainability & Climate Resilience, ICT Policy and Regulation, Fintech and MFS, Broadcast Media & Entertainment, Pioneer Tech, the Future of Work and Talent and Skills Development.
Moreover, it incorporates the Africa Tech Festival Awards, an exclusive ceremony celebrating Africa’s tech pioneers and held at the luxury 5-star The Bay Hotel.
The festival also includes the Leader In Africa Summit, an exclusive, VIP-only feature offering high-level presentations and roundtable discussions to Africa’s tech elite.
