Top 10 Finalists Emerge for Africa Tech Festival’s Start-Up World Cup

The top ten candidates from the AfricaIgnite Pitch Competition have been revealed by the Africa Tech Festival.

On December 1st, these competitors will compete for the chance to represent Africa at the Startup World Cup.

From November 14–16, in Cape Town, there will be an Africa Tech Festival featuring the AfricaIgnite Pitch Competition. A large number of investors, tech executives, and entrepreneurs will be present at the final to see who will win.

James Williams, Senior Director, Events Connecting Africa Informa Tech, made the following announcement: “Congratulations to everyone who entered. The most brilliant and inspirational entrepreneurs on the continent answered our call to apply and contribute to the development of the African innovation ecosystem.

“I firmly believe that this varied group of finalists reflects the abundance and diversity of African talent, inventiveness, and unrivaled potential. I speak for the judges, investors, and colleagues who will be attentively observing the pitch competition. Therefore, choosing just one winner to represent the continent at the Startup World Cup Final, which Pegasus will host in San Francisco on December 1st, will not be an easy feat.

Judge of the AfricaIgnite Pitch Competition Keshni Morar of Investable cautions competitors to be prepared by outlining the qualities she will be looking for in the winning pitch.

Morar will be examining the presentations for minute details and a clear grasp of the market that the start-up intends to enter or is currently operating in. One important factor to take into account for start-ups with pre-seed money is the depth of their go-to market plan.

In summary, however, Morar states: “I look for coherence between the pitch story and the data points, just like every other serious investor out there. We have no chance of getting involved if it isn’t there.

AsaanaPay, a payments and rewards platform that enables offline and online payments as well as unrestricted cash back benefits for minority owned businesses to attract and retain customers, is one of the top ten firms that was chosen for the AfricaIgnite Pitch Competition Final.

Tausi App: A user-friendly, comprehensive onboarding procedure and rating system make this Kenyan app, which links beauticians with clients and offers professional hair and makeup treatments among other services to make clients feel amazing, easy to use.

Bus54 is a mobility technology firm with its headquarters located in Nigeria. It offers a platform that combines intercity bus travel across Africa and lets users explore, compare, schedule, and manage their trips online. With the platform, transport operators can handle their entire business from a safe online interface, eliminating the need for extra hardware or software purchases, as well as the necessity for a separate ticket sales channel.

Delta Scan – a specialist engineering inspection, digitisation and BIM company based in South Africa that digitize the world around us to create powerful analytical 3D models to extract engineering value.  The company, based in South Africa, strives to improve efficiency, bring down costs, and provide comprehensive information to make better informed decisions.

Oneway Connect – 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.

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 – 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.

BenaCare – a Kenyan based social enterprise that delivers affordable clinical and supportive care to patients with life limiting illnesses at the comfort of their own homes.  They also reduce and re-distrinbute unpaid care performed by women family caregivers in rural Kenya, by training them on the basics of caregiving like wound care, vitals taking, grooming, ambulation, pressure are care and toileting.

Gradlinc – more than a matchmaker between graduate and 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 – seamless payment solutions with easy financial reach, Nairobi-based Kyanda Africa provide 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.