Out of nearly 1000 applicants from across the continent, 10 finalists were chosen to pitch at the regional finals in Accra, Lagos, Nairobi, Cape Town and Abidjan, held February 27-28th.
March 05, 2019, ACCRA, Ghana: Five promising startups from across Africa have been chosen as regional winners in MEST Africa’s annual Pan-African pitch competition, moving one step closer to winning $50,000 in equity investment, a place in the MEST Africa incubator of their choice and global mentorship to help their company scale. Winners will pitch on a global stage in the finals at the 4th MEST Africa Summit, to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, June 10-12.
WINNERS FROM EACH REGION
The ‘LinkedIn for Sports’ that is developing the next generation of Etos, Drogbas and Aubameyangs through technology
A data insights company that helps businesses make data-driven financial decisions and achieve growth to improve performance
A platform that provides real-time cyber security for individuals and businesses
A fintech company that provides seamless transactions into and within Africa for individuals and businesses
A financing platform that allows Internet users and companies from all over the world to support small agricultural projects in Africa through a voucher system
The winning startups stood out as a result of their impressive revenue growth and potential for expansion. There has been a growing number of companies who have managed to scale in a variety of sectors; so this investment will be vital in aiding these companies to join this expanding group.
Aaron Fu, MEST Africa’s Managing Director
With impressive attendance in each region, judges for the regional finals included industry leaders such as Kola Aina, Founding Partner at Ventures Platform and Soromfe Uzomah Head of Strategic Partnerships (Africa Initiatives – 4Afrika) at Microsoft.
Amazing talent exhibited by the participating scale-up companies. I am thrilled to find new and exciting business models emerging from the pitches. These will definitely make waves in the future.
Abdul Latif Issahaku, judge at the Accra regional finals, Data & Devices Manager at MTN Ghana and Shaper & Founding Curator at the World Economic Forum
The success of last year’s MEST Africa Summit, which took place in Cape Town, has raised anticipation for this year’s Summit in Nairobi, set to attract Pan-African investors, corporate executives and key members of the African tech ecosystem.
The winner of the finals will be the second company to join MEST Africa’s portfolio without going through the MEST Training Program. They will join last year’s winner, Nigeria’s smart accounting platform Accounteer, who has since gone on to expand into Kenya and raise additional funding.
CONTACT
For additional information on MEST Africa and the 2019 MEST Africa Summit or interview requests. contact Ernestina Berry | ernestina@wimbart.com or Tommy Rufai | tommy@wimbart.com. For any press enquiries about the winners contact Delila Kidanu | Delila Kidanu Delila@meltwater.org
ABOUT MEST AFRICA
Launched in 2008 by Meltwater, MEST is a Pan-African training program, seed fund, incubator and hub for technology entrepreneurs in Africa, providing critical skills training in software development, business and communications, as well as seed funding and incubation. Headquartered in Accra, Ghana, MEST is funded by the Meltwater Foundation, the non-profit arm of Meltwater, a global leader in media intelligence and Outside Insight.