Last year, the seedstar team toured 20 African cities in search for promising startups to compete at the Seedstar Global Competition; the biggest startup competition focused only in emerging markets and fast-growing startup scenes. Over the course of the tour, 18 startups emerged finalists with their solutions in; AgricTech, FinTech, EdTech, Civic Tech, Mobility, HealthTech, and Food & Beverage.
65 global finalists are to compete for the crown of Seedstar and a cash prize of USD$500, 000 (approx. UGX1.8 billion).
Uganda will be represented by Agro Supply Uganda Limited. An AgricTech startup that has developed a unique mobile layaway platform that allows farmers to save money for the seeds and fertilizer using their mobile phone. The team is led by Ogwal Joseph; Founder and Chief Executive of the startup.
As we speak the teams are already in Switzerland were the final pitches will be held. Winners are to be announced on Friday 5th, April 2019. Overall winner receives a USD$500,000 in equity investment.
On to top-up on the USD $500,000 prize, Seedstars partnered with Enel Green Power (Renewable Energy), BBVA Open Talent (FinTech), Merck (Health), HEG Fribourg & TRECC (Education), and Tag Heuer (Women entrepreneurs) to provide mentoring and financial support in their selected works.
African startups dominate as winners of this competition with two winning startups; Giraff (South Africa – 2016) and Agrocenta (Ghana 2018). In 2017 a Philippine startup won the competition.
The 2019 African participants are;
| Startup | City, Country | Sector |
| Rera Online | Harare, Zimbabwe | AgriTech |
| Cowtribe | Accra, Ghana | AgriTech |
| Benefactors | Kigali, Rwanda | FinTech |
| Agro Supply Uganda Limited | Kampala, Uganda | AgriTech |
| SudaPay | Dakar, Senegal | Civic Tech |
| Labes Key – schoolap | Kinshasa, Congo | EdTech |
| Bluewave Insurance Agency Limited | Nairobi, Kenya | FinTech |
| WenaData | Maputo, Mozambique | Civic Tech |
| Bandim Online | Bissau, Guinea-Bissau | AgriTech |
| Kubinga | Luanda, Angola | Mobility |
| DropQue | Lagos, Nigeria | Enterprise services/HR |
| HiFranc | Sandton, South Africa | FinTech |
| REMA | Cotonou, Benin | HealthTech |
| Diool | Douala, Cameroon | FinTech |
| MyFoodness | Gaborone, Botswana | Food and Beverage |
| Money Farm | Bakau, Gambia | AgricTech |
| Nala | Tanga, Tanzania | AgricTech |
The Seedstars Africa Summit is designed to facilitate meaningful discussions about topics that range from the policies designed to support entrepreneurship in the country and the region to the success factors and improvement opportunities of the African tech scene.
