Africa’s Rising Startups to Watch in 2026

2026 is shaping up to be a breakthrough year for African startups, with youthful energy and inventive solutions from Senegal to Nigeria, Kenya to Morocco. Many of these startups are solving real problems with digital tools, biotech, and platform-scale models. With many of them winning grants and heavy funding rounds, and rapid user adoption, these startups aren’t just promising, they’re scaling fast and grabbing global attention.

Across sectors including health, agriculture, education, fintech, and climate tech, these are the startups to watch in 2026. They are founders and brands that are redefining how tech catalyzes economic and social transformation across Africa through innovation, impact, and growth.

1. NovFeed (Tanzania) — Biotech for Sustainable Food Security

At the 2025 Africa’s Business Heroes competition NovFeed, a Tanzanian biotech agritech startup, clinched the top ABH prize with its innovative approach to animal feed production.

NovFeed uses insect-based protein as a sustainable, nutrient-dense alternative to conventional livestock feed. The solution responds to rising feed costs and environmental concerns tied to traditional feedstock like soy and fishmeal, particularly in East Africa’s burgeoning poultry and aquaculture markets.

With insect protein gaining global traction for its efficiency and lower environmental footprint, NovFeed is positioning itself as one of the continent’s most exciting agricultural innovators ahead of 2026. NovFeed is led by Diana Orembe, a Tanzanian microbiologist turned agritech entrepreneur. Her work reflects a growing wave of African founders using deep science to solve everyday economic problems.

2. Eyone (Senegal) — Digital Health for Better Care

Also in the Business Heroes spotlight, Eyone, launched in 2019, captured the grand prize of US$300,000 in 2024, beating nearly 20,000 applicants from 54 countries.

Founded  by Henri Ousmane Gueye , a Senegalese tech entrepreneur focused on modernising Africa’s healthcare infrastructure, to tackle fragmented healthcare systems.  Eyone’s platform connects medical records, clinicians, and patients in real time, enabling faster decision-making and smoother care coordination. By enabling interoperability in health systems, Eyone is unlocking more efficient, patient-centered healthcare, a critical need for countries grappling with data silos and paper-based records.

As Africa increases digital health adoption, Eyone’s model could expand beyond Senegal, influencing how governments and hospitals manage patient data across borders.

3. Omniretail (Nigeria) — Digitizing Informal Retail Networks

Nigeria’s Omniretail has emerged as one of Africa’s fastest-growing startups, linking informal retailers with suppliers through a B2B e-commerce platform. According to recent growth rankings, the company posted a staggering near-800% compound annual growth rate and attracted key venture backing as it expands across West Africa.

Omniretail was founded by Deepankar Rustagi, an Indian born Nigerian technology entrepreneur based in Lagos, with a  deep experience in African logistics and commerce whose insight into informal retail systems shaped Omniretail’s mission: build technology that fits how small African businessesactually operate, not how theory says they should.  In markets where many retail stores still operate offline, Omniretail’s tools provide inventory insights, automated ordering, and analytics, improving margins for small shop owners and building deeper supply-chain visibility. For 2026, its expansion will be worth watching as retail digitization reshapes Africa’s commerce landscape.

4. AFEX Commodities Exchange (Nigeria) — Agritech Meets Markets

Agriculture remains the backbone of many African economies, and AFEX Commodities Exchange is connecting more than 500,000 farmers to financing, storage, and digital trading via its ComX platform.

AFEX was founded by Ayodeji Balogun, a commodities trader turned market builder. His vision was to bring structure, transparency, and financing to African agriculture through modern exchange systems,  giving farmers access to markets once reserved for large institutional players.

By reducing post-harvest loss and democratizing access to markets, AFEX is tackling chronic inefficiencies in food supply chains. Its model brings modern exchange dynamics to smallholder farmers, a key piece of Africa’s food security puzzle and sets the stage for wider adoption of digital agricultural marketplaces in 2026.

5. Spiro (Pan-Africa) — Electric Mobility and Green Growth

Headed into 2026, Spiro stands out as Africa’s largest electric vehicle (EV) company. Specializing in electric motorcycles and battery-swapping infrastructure, the startup operates across several countries, including Nigeria and Kenya, with tens of thousands of EVs already in circulation.

Founded by Kaushik Burman, an energy and infrastructure entrepreneur focused on clean mobility solutions for emerging markets. Spiro’s model tackles both mobility and climate goals: riders gain access to affordable, zero-emission transport while reducing dependence on fossil fuels. With plans to expand assembly plants and scaling battery-swap networks, Spiro is charting a green path for Africa’s mobility future.

6. Signvrse (Kenya) — AI Accessibility Innovator

In the deep tech space, Signvrse is a Kenyan startup deploying artificial intelligence to bridge communication barriers. Its flagship product uses AI-driven 3D avatars to translate speech into sign language, unlocking accessibility for deaf and hard-of-hearing communities across the continent. Signvrse was co-founded by Branice Kazira , a Kenyan software engineer and accessibility advocate and Elly Savatia, a Tech Optimist and Commonwealth Secretary-General’s Innovation for Sustainable Development Awardee 2023.

The startup was Inspired by the communication barriers faced by deaf communities, they built Signvrse to ensure that AI innovation includes people often left out of mainstream technology design. As inclusive tech gains momentum globally, Signvrse’s innovations hint at a future where AI doesn’t just automate, it connects more Africans to information, education, and opportunities.

7. EdTech and Inclusive Learning Innovators

While larger platforms such as AltSchool Africa and Andela continue scaling pan-African talent and learning ecosystems, other rising edtech players are earning attention through awards and innovation initiatives. Recent lists of entrepreneurial finalists include startups like South African based BluLever Education (skills training) and Kunda Kids (children’s educational content), spotlighting diverse approaches to learning that go beyond traditional classrooms.

With demand for accessible, localized learning growing rapidly, edtech remains one of Africa’s most fertile grounds for impact in 2026, and these companies will be at the front burner.

8. Emerging HealthTech: Intron Health and HearX

Across the health tech landscape, companies like Intron Health (speech and clinical documentation technology tailored to African languages) and South African hearX (smartphone-enabled hearing aid solutions) raised notable funding in 2025, underlining investor confidence in scalable digital health tools.

Intron Health was co-founded by Dr. Tobi Olatunji and Olakunle Asekun while hearX, founded by Nic Klopper in South Africa, blends medical science with smartphone technology to democratise hearing care. These startups are breaking new ground in improving healthcare delivery, especially in areas where infrastructure and clinical resources are limited and reflect a new generation of healthtech founders building globally relevant solutions from African contexts.

What to Expect Going Forward

Collectively, these startups reflect a broader shift in Africa’s innovation story, one that values problem-solving over flash, impact over buzzwords, and scalable models. From fintech that moves money cheaply to platforms that empower farmers, learners, and patients, Africa’s emerging tech champions are proving that solutions built close to the challenge often scale far beyond it.

With startup activity continuing to grow, supported by ecosystem programmes, awards like Africa’s Business Heroes, and greater access to capital, 2026 promises to be a defining year for Africa’s next wave of tech leaders.