PARIS, France, 04th May 2022 -/African Media Agency (AMA)/- Viva Technology and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) announced today the top 45 start-ups that have been long-listed for the first edition of the AfricaTech Awards. This pan-African initiative, supported by Proparco, aims to recognize and support emerging start-ups that are driving innovation and development impact across the continent in three main sectors - Climate Tech, FinTech, and Health Tech.
The 45 start-ups - 15 in each of the three Awards categories - have been selected from a total pool of more than 300 applications, with Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, and Morocco showing the highest participation rates. Overall, FinTech is the category that received the most applications (124), followed by Health Tech (95), and Climate Tech (93). Nearly 60% of the applicant start-ups have at least one woman on their board.
"The number and quality of applications received is a testament to Africa's vibrant tech scene, which has proven to be resilient even in the face of the many challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic," said Makhtar Diop, IFC's Managing Director. "These Awards will help scale innovations in key sectors like climate tech, health, and financial services, which are critical to supporting the continent's sustainable and inclusive growth."
The final winners (one per category) will be announced at the first AfricaTech Awards ceremony, which will take place during the 2022 edition of Viva Technology on June 15-18 in Paris. The three winning start-ups will benefit from access to the Viva Technology, IFC and category sponsors' networks, as well as select one-on-one meetings with leaders and top executives in the tech industry.
"Africa is a breeding ground for talent and new ideas, and we are delighted to see so many innovative entrepreneurs participating in this first edition of the AfricaTech Awards," said Viva TechnologyCo-Presidents Maurice Lévy and Pierre Louette, and Managing Director Julie Ranty. "It is a pleasure to be able to highlight these impactful start-ups and help promote their solutions across the continent and beyond."
The top 15 start-ups in the FinTech category, sponsored by Cassava Technologies, include:
Abela - South Africa Applied Logic Ltd - Nigeria Click2Sure - South Africa Crop2Cash - Nigeria DreamCash - Cameroon Duhqa - Kenya Maisha Pay - Uganda France - South AfricaImaliPay - Kenya Lipa Later - Kenya Neqabty - Egypt Popote pay - Kenya Premiercredit - Zambia Proxalys - Senegal SingPay - Gabon
The top 15 start-ups in the Health Tech category, sponsored by Orange, include:
Access Afya - KenyaAviro Health - South Africa BokDoc - Egypt Chefaa - EgyptKeeplyna - Tunisia Med - Tunisia Meditect - Qatar Primed E-Health - France, Nigeria, Uganda SonoCare - Nigeria Vekta Innovations - South Africa Vula Mobile - South Africa Wala Digital Health - Ghana Welnes - Egypt Zencey - Ivory Coast Zuri Health - Kenya
The top 15 start-ups in the Climate Tech category, sponsored by New Energy Nexus, include:
AGROTECH PLUS - Kenya ATLAN Space - Morocco Bekia - Egypt Easy Matatu - Uganda Eco-V GreenTower - South Africa Farmtopia - Egypt Ipren Group - Nigeria iShamba Limited - Kenya Koolboks - France, Nigeria, and 12 additional countries Kumulus - France and Tunisia MyJouleBox (Aress) - Benin Seavo - Egypt SUNPave - Egypt The Awareness Company - South Africa WEEE Centre - Kenya
KEY DATA3 award categories Climate Tech, FinTech, Health Tech, 312 applications45 long-listed start-ups3 final winners to be announced at VivaTech in June Find the top 45 list here
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Viva Technology.
About Viva Technology
VivaTech is the biggest startup and tech event in Europe and is recognized worldwide as a powerful catalyst for business transformation, startup growth and innovation for the common good. Since 2016 VivaTech has brought together in Paris the world's top business leaders, startups, investors, researchers and thinkers for a unique experience combining inspiration, networking and a showcase for innovation. Starting with the 2021 edition VivaTech is now enriched with a digital platform that connects a global community of innovators. The sixth edition of VivaTech is taking place 15-18 June 2022. More information available at https://vivatechnology.com/media and @VivaTech.
Press Contacts Viva Technology :
Léa Roos: lroos@vivatechnology.com
Pierre-Henri Paty: vivatech@publicisconsultants.com - 06 49 13 44 79
About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capitol, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2021, IFC committed a record $31.5 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity as economies grapple with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.
Press Contacts IFC :
In Nairobi : Kristina Ifeoma Nwazota: knwazota@ifc.org
In Paris : Egidio Germanetti: egermanetti@ifc.org
In Washington DC: Nicola Vesco : nvesco@ifc.org
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Source : African Media Agency (AMA)