James Williams, Senior Director of Events at Connecting Africa and Informa Tech has announced the 10 startups that will compete at the AfricaIgnite Pitch Competition during the Africa Tech Festival in Cape Town in November and vie for their spot in the Startup World Cup.
The Startup World Cup will be held on December 1st, 2023 by Pegasus in San Francisco, U.S.
James thanked all applicants who took the liberty to apply for the competition. In a press statement, he said “We called for the continent’s brightest, most inspiring founders to apply to help build the African innovation ecosystem and they certainly delivered.”
James further added, “Africa’s talent, ingenuity, and unmatched potential are abundant and diverse.” “This is represented in this broad array of finalists — it’s therefore going to be no small task to select just one winner who will represent the continent at the Startup World Cup Final.”
Providing insight as to what she will be looking for in the winning pitch, investor, and AfricaIgnite Pitch Competition judge, Keshni Morar of Investable warns contenders to come prepared. Morar will be looking for granular detail in the presentations, with a demonstrable understanding of the market in which the startup is looking to play or is already active. The depth of the go-to-market strategy too for those startups at pre-seed capital, is a vital consideration.
“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,” remarked Morar.
The 10 startups participating in the AfricaIgnite Pitch Competition are;
AsaanaPay: Headquartered in Kenya, AsaanaPay is a payments and rewards platform for minority-owned businesses enabling offline and online payments and unrestricted cash-back rewards to attract and retain customers. Asaana facilitates local and global payments through a variety of channels from mobile wallets and traditional banks to everything in between.
Tausi App: Headquartered in Kenya, the app connects beauticians to clients and provides professional hair and make-up and other services to make clients feel fabulous, with a rating system and an in-depth onboarding process that is simple to use.
Bus54: Based in Nigeria, Bus54 is a mobility technology company providing a platform to aggregate intercity bus transportation in Africa, allowing passengers to search, compare, book, and manage their journeys online. 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.
Delta Scan: Based in South Africa, Delta Scan digitizes the world around us to create powerful analytical 3D models to extract engineering value. The company strives to improve efficiency, bring down costs, and provide comprehensive information to make better-informed decisions.
Oneway Connect: This is a cutting-edge job matching and recruitment software prioritizing cultural alignment that is shaping the future of hiring. Beyond traditional CVs, the platform evaluates capabilities and traits, fostering purposeful performers for businesses. Jobseekers are seamlessly connected to their ideal roles while assessments empower employers to truly understand candidates’ potential beyond mere keywords.
Ukwenza VR: A social enterprise based in Kenya that focuses on creating educational Virtual Reality (VR) content to complement classroom learning and offer additional learning on social and environmental issues e.g. conservation and plastic pollution.
Hippocampus Education: 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 assessment activities, facilitating a learning environment that meets each student’s learning needs, and providing positive and constructive feedback on the progress and performance of the student.
BenaCare: This is a Kenyan-based social enterprise that delivers affordable clinical and supportive care to patients with life-limiting illnesses in the comfort of their own homes. Benacare on the other hand improves the outcome of the patients taken care of and equips these women with caregiving skills which can then earn them a living.
Gradlinc: A matchmaking platform between a graduate and an employer and vice versa. Gradlinc helps prepare graduates for the workplace from helping with CVs to creating personal brands, and is free to graduates. It is a vital two-way bridge between ‘people’, not jobs and workers, as matching values, and individuality in people — whether the graduate or the employer — builds long-term successful relationships with mutual benefits.
Kyanda Africa: This is a seamless payment solution with easy financial reach. Based in Nairobi, Kenya, 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. They are on a mission to drive down the number of unbanked and underbanked people across Africa.
The AfricaIgnite Pitch Competition Final takes place at the Africa Tech Festival in Auditorium 2 of the CTICC on November 16th. An open-to-all feature, the final will bring a great crowd of founders, tech leaders, and investors to witness who will be participating at the Startup World Cup in San Francisco, U.S.
Africa Tech Festival is a standout, not only in its recognition of the achievements of the companies and people who are making a difference in the lives of countless Africans, but for its reputation as an unforgettable evening of fun, food, and conversation in the company of some of the industry’s hottest talent.
