Top 40 startups selected for DEMO Africa 2012

After more than four months of work, we are pleased to announce the 40 entrepreneurs selected to launch at the first ever DEMO Africa conference.

The 40 finalists have gone through three rigorous screening processes with the final vetting and adjudication done by a pan-African panel of judges comprised of entrepreneurs, VCs and Academia. The Judges included Martin Butler, Senior Lecturer, University of Stellenbosch, Athony Stonefield, Head of Ecosystem, Nokia, Toby Sharpshak, Editor, Stuff South Africa, Paul Nguru, CEO, PN Consultancy, Stephen Gugu, Director, Viktoria  Solutions,  Erik Hersman, Founder, Ushahidi/iHub, Eric Osaikwan, CEO, Research Africa, Tomi Davis, CEO, Technovision and  Brian Longwe, DEMO Africa.

A total of 500 applications were processed in lead to this event. These were then short listed to 150 ventures before a selection of the final 40 was made. The ventures cover five categories including Mobile Technology, Social Media, Consumer Products, Cloud Services and Enterprise Technologies. South Africa and Kenya take a big chunk of the final 40 with Ghana and Nigeria coming in a close second. Other countries represented included Cameroon, Senegal, Egypt, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

The team at DEMO Africa, and everyone part of the VC4Africa community, would like to congratulate the selected entrepreneurs for their achievement. We count on you to make waves in Nairobi!

Here is an overview of the selected ventures. Click on the tiles to find out more.

Balefyre is the sole supplier of it’s patented USSDx – USSD over IP server and emDial application. Earl Joseph South Africa
Crowdpesa allows merchants to manage customer notifications and rewards on an intuitive dashboard. Christian KAKOBA Kenya
dash2do is an online service for errand runners, private drivers, cash delivery, travel bookings and more. Samuel Wanjohi Kenya
djoss.tv is a social TV platform that lets TV viewers everywhere discuss around their favorite TV shows, in real-time. Ndjientcheu Ngandjui Patrick Cameroon
eLimu is an Android application for children in the Kenyan Primary School education system. Nivi Mukherjee Kenya
Eskimi is a mobile social network to meet new people in Africa. Vytautas Paukštys Nigeria
Evly is a Software-as-a-Service that can be used by organisations to “constructively engage” their stakeholders. Eric Edelstein South Africa
ExpenZa takes the hassle out of expense tracking by automating as much of the process as possible. Wim Morris South Africa
Firestring will find the right information for you when you need it. Alison Jacobson South Africa
Framework One specializes in bespoke enterprise system development and business process automation. Alexander Mehlhorn South Africa
Gigham makes it easy to discover, promote & monetize events. George Gally South Africa
Hewani™ Retail enables consumers to shop for goods and services. Thuo Herbert Kenya
iPay is an innovative payments processing solution and payment gateway for Africa. Philip Nyamwaya Kenya
Kivuko is an online shopping gateway, enabling vendors to sell and deliver products directly to customers. Amiri Mziray Tanzania
KKYB is an online platform that crowdsources writing and design services online. Kekeli Buckner Ghana
Kuza is a mobile, location-based business platform for feature phones. Pieter Nel South Africa
Kuzima allows you as a consumer to shame and praise companies that provide you with services. Michael Ocansey Ghana
Kytabu is a texbook subscription application on a low cost tablet. Tonee Ndungu Kenya
Lipisha enables small business owners to automatically process non cash payments and micropayments. Martin Kasomo Kenya
Maliyo Games makes interactive multimedia content, published for web and mobile distribution. Hugo Obi Nigeria
Meka is the industry innovator in comparison shopping, price and product reference. Mugume Collins Uganda
m-KAZI is a mass market job search application accessed by mobile phone and online. Nancy Wang Kenya
Mlouma is a web and mobile service that allows farmers and agribusiness to make decisions. Aboubacar Sidy Sonko Senegal
Mobiflock, we want children to have all the benefits of a mobile phone, while still staying safe. Vanessa Clark South Africa
mPawa is a mobile job matching application developed for the blue collar recruitment sector of Africa. Maxwell Donkor Ghana
MPAYER is a mobile and web application that enables businesses to manage income and expenses. Stella Njoki Kenya
MPrep helps kids learn, review, compete and collaborate through accessible mobile applications. Kosgei Isaac Kenya
MTI offers the newest level in IT Support. With this App, you can get support no matter where you are in the world. Sean Venter South Africa
mTRACKER is a menu-driven mobile application that runs on Series40 and Android platforms. Mwema Jacob Kenya
mVerified is a verification tool that can be accessed online or via mobile. Patrick Innovator Kenya
MyOrder is the easy way to order from shops around you for delivery or pick-up. Hilda Moraa Kenya
OzinboPay is a mobile payment gateway that enables merchants within West Africa. Sam Paapa Opoku Ghana
People Input is an African APPs store targeting general public and businesses. Serigne Barro Senegal
Prowork is a project management and team collaboration app. Francis Onwumere Nigeria
Qabila is a media content creator that capitalizes on crowdsourcing and digital media. Perihan Abou-Zeid Egypt
Rasello helps businesses manage better consumer communication via SMS. Natalino Mwenda Tanzania
SasaAfrica, an e-commerce platform that connects craftswomen in developing countries. Ella Peinovich Kenya
SkillPod Media is a South African based game solutions provider. Mark van Diggelen South Africa
TaxTim is an online virtual tax assistant who asks you simple questions in plain language. Evan Robinson South Africa
Virtual Bank is a payment service for those without credit cards, bank accounts and those who want a cheap alternative. Tawanda Kembo Zimbabwe