LIST | Here Are the 10 Startups Selected to Compete in the African Finals of the Latitude59 Pitching Competition

Ten startups have been chosen to compete in the African final of the Latitude59 competition. The winner will advance to Tallinn, Estonia, to present at the main event, where a prize pool of EUR 1 million (approximately US$1.1 million) is up for grabs.

The 12th edition of Latitude59, which is Estonia’s premier startup and tech event, took place in Tallinn in May 2024, drawing over 3,500 participants, including more than 900 startup representatives and nearly 600 investors.

In October 2024, Latitude59 did a call for applications seeking early-stage startups from across Africa to compete for an opportunity to pitch at its next pitch competition, scheduled for next year’s event.

For the past two years, the competition’s prize pool has been EUR 1 million (US$1.1 million).

A total of 382 applications were submitted from 37 African nations, and the top 10 finalists have been chosen. They will present their pitches at an event in Kenya on November 28 2024 where the African winner will be announced.

Below are the 10 startups expected to pitch at the event:

• 🇳🇬AcemyX: AcemyX is an LMS helping students prepare for exams with personalized learning tools and study materials
• 🇹🇿Afya Mama: Afya Mama is providing answers to questions pertaining maternal care and reproductive health to women via SMS and web app
• 🇰🇪 Eco Nasi: Eco Nasi Limited transforms pineapple pulp waste into high-quality vegan leather that is 5 times more durable than hide leather
• 🇰🇪 Grekkon Limited: Grekkon is scaling up moisture sensors for smallholder farmers to remove water wastage or insufficient water in irrigation
• 🇰🇪 NoMa: NoMa is a tech platform that digitizes school transportation
• 🇺🇸 Paycloud Africa: Paycloud is building a Neobank to help MSMEs in Africa to pay, get paid, and access credit through payment aggregation
• 🇰🇪 Roadrims: Roadrims provides reliable, efficient, and cost-effective logistics that meets diverse supply chain needs
• 🇰🇪 Twiva: Twiva is a Social Commerce platform that helps brands gain access to markets by marketing & selling through influencers
• 🇰🇪 VunaPay: VunaPay provides instant payments to farmers as they deliver their produce, saving them from delayed payments
• 🇰🇪 Zerobionic: Zerobionic is developing a human-like robotic arm to help students with hearing impairments in Kenyan high schools

“Latitude59 Kenya Edition has showcased a surprising shift in startup focus. While fintech once dominated the landscape, this year’s pitch competition applications reveal an inspiring wave of innovation in agriculture and sustainability,” said Dolores Daniel, Project Manager for the Latitude59 Kenya Edition.

“It’s clear that founders are increasingly prioritising impact-driven solutions to tackle food security, climate resilience, and sustainable resource management – reshaping Kenya’s entrepreneurial narrative.”