25 exceptional startups from across the East Africa region will compete to win market recognition and investor interest during the PIVOT East pitching competition and conference on November 15th in Nairobi. The startups were unveiled today after an intense evaluation process by a panel involving over 10 investors. The 25 finalists, 5 from each category were selected from the 50 semifinalists announced two weeks ago.
The startups that have made it to the finals (click on the logo or name to visit the VC4A venture profile) are;
Finance
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EdgePoint Company Ltd – Watertek is a water supply schemes management platform for projects funded by the government, NGOs and private entities.
Tanzania -
Andrea Consulting – A-Trader is Tanzania’s first online and app based trading platform, that allows anyone with a mobile phone or internet access to buy and sell securities in the local capital markets. It will provide savings and investment options to any of 40 million mobile phone, and 17 million internet users in Tanzania, and beyond.
Tanzania -
BusinessTYC – BusinessTYC is a tax and financial application software products and services by A & L Information Technology PLC. Our software products are developed for local businesses to mainly stabilize their financial handling.
Ethiopia -
DusuPay.com – DusuPay enables businesses and startups accept all cashless payments from debit cards, Mobile money from 17 countries in Africa, online banking from 34 countries, POS systems in 7 countries, and over 50 payment alternatives globally.
Uganda -
Inclusion Media (Paid) – Paid is slated to be the best loyalty first CRM (Customer Relationship Management) service that will use data from shopper trends to drive customer engagement for merchants.
Kenya
Enterprise
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Mobiticket – Mobiticket is the medium between passengers and long distance bus companies. We provide a booking service to help passengers reserve bus tickets in advance without having to travel to the congested town booking offices to just purchase a ticket.
Kenya -
Travo – Travo is an interactive mobile platform that offers visibility to meal offers and happy hour joints based on the location of the users.
Kenya -
Kleva Plus – KlevaPlus is dedicated to creation of market ready, locally relevant, easy to use Small and Medium business management software.
Kenya -
e-Kodi – E-kodi automates transactions in real estate. It makes it possible to list, rent and manage property online.
Kenya -
Ajira – Ajira Job matching solution eliminates the noise in the hiring process by efficiently connecting employers to their top prospects, utilizing artificial intelligence to identify and establish a successful one-to-one signal between employers and top candidates.
Tanzania
Entertainment
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Request Africa Limited – Request is a web and mobile application that allows musicians to easily monitor their music from platforms such as radio,TV and internet streams.
Kenya -
Dream Africa – Dream Africa is a digital African-themed platform that delivers engaging and educational storybooks, audiobooks, music and videos/animations while also connecting creative talent of freelancers, artists, film and animation studios with authors and publishers to learn, grow and monetize their skills.
Kenya -
Cloud 9 Kenya – Cloud 9 is an online web platform that enables leisure space owners to list their experiences for discounted prices to adventure seekers.
Kenya -
Covercloud Ltd – Covercloud is an on-line, ambient music ,web platform targeting high end hotels, restaurants and gyms. We fit our curated ambient music within our users personality as well as embrace there business strategies.
Kenya -
Tamithi Ltd – Tamithi Ltd’s Noga is Uganda’s first 3D mobile game application. It’s a fruit picker game on a remote farm that relays Africa’s rich culture and wealth in an informative and educative manner!
Uganda
Utilities
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Tech Water Solutions – A monitoring system that allows you to monitor real-time water levels in tank/reservoirs in any location using your mobile phone and receive Alarms should water levels go below the desired threshold prompting you to refill the tank/reservoir before it runs completely dry.
Kenya -
myhrs – myhrs is Web-based and SMS Platform which automate the whole process of recruiting. The main objective of myhrs is to cut hiring time and make job application easier by using the power of mobile technology.
Kenya -
Mobilized Construction – Mobilized Construction enables local community members to manually rebuild roads (instead of using heavy machinery) by creating a marketplace for micro-contracts. The software collects data on road conditions, creates a repair schedule, deploys individuals to fix road hazards, and monitors road performance, all through a mobile phone.
Kenya -
weSurf – weSurf is a solar-powered, WiFi-based connectivity platform that helps users in low income areas to buy affordable, pay-as-you-go unlimited internet using mobile money or vouchers. It allows the users to connect via a mobile app or web where the app acts as an access point that propagates the signal improving the connection.
Kenya -
Aloyo Electronics – The Aloyo charging device has helped many people in Uganda, by availing the means to recharge their mobile phones on their motorcycles. resulting into efficient communication in the rural areas of Uganda.
Uganda
Social Impact
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MobFit – MoBFIT is a robust GSM supported agricultural supply chain software that is directly connecting 20M smallholder rural farmers to buyers in the market at a low cost via SMS, and automated voice call technology, before harvest.
Uganda -
SkoolDesk – Skooldesk is an online learning platform based on Software as a Service (SaaS) model which improves grades and test scores of young learners.
Uganda -
Flare – Flare connects patients with high quality and affordable ambulances in minutes throughout Africa. Our on-demand tech platform helps millions of patients access critical emergency care transport, enables ambulance owners to better serve their customers and links with hospitals to inform them ahead of time that a patient is en-route.
Uganda -
Medulla Shelf – Medulla Shelf is a modern way of managing schools by involving everyone in the growth of the learner.
Kenya -
Techno Stuffs Ltd – Techno Stuffs brings government services in isolated villages through trained agents, one in each village equipped with a computer, modem and a license to work as an accredited Irembo.gov.rw and Bank of Kigali Agent.
Rwanda
Out of the 25 startups that made it to the finalists, fifteen are from Kenya. Five of the startups are from Uganda and three from Tanzania. Ethiopia and Rwanda are represented in the list by one startup each. For each category a 6th best startup has been placed in a waiting list and may pitch at the conference if a finalist in the category drops out for any reason. Startups in the waiting list are; Rogech Animation & Visual Effects and Simon Tito Foods from Tanzania and MyAfya, SapamaERP.com and ForeverAppy Ltd (Vivi) from Kenya.
Pitching conference
Finalists of the competition will receive training, coaching and mentorship in the weeks to come before the pitching conference on November 15th in Nairobi. These pre-conference activities assist the finalists to improve key elements of their business models and the positioning of their startups to the rich audience at the conference. Startups in the waiting list will also benefit from the training, coaching and mentoring given to the finalists.
Next wave of high potential innovations
PIVOT East competition aims to facilitate discovery and nurturing of the next wave of high potential innovations into sustainable business, ensuring that digital innovations are high in the agenda of regional, governments, corporates and development agencies for amplified development impact and to raise the quality of startups in the region.
About Pivot East
View a registration of last year’s PIVOT East conference below.