Fintech startup Hisa Inc has been selected to represent Kenya at the the grand finale of the 2022 MEST Africa Challenge pitch competition.
MEST Africa announced five startups Sproutly (Nigeria), Kweli (Senegal), Swoove (Ghana), Hisa (Kenya) and Desert Green Africa (South Africa) as the start-ups who have made it into the grand finale of the 2022 MEST Africa Challenge pitch competition.
The pan-African pitch competition opened applications in July this year for pre-seed and seed-stage technology start-ups in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Kenya, and South Africa to bid for the ultimate prize of $50,000.
After going through the online application, regional pitches, and founder interview phases of the competition, the 5 finalists have been selected for the final pitch. Each start-up will represent their country at the Demo Day and Final Pitch Competition that will be held in Accra Ghana in December 2022.
Speaking on the selection of the top 5 start-ups, the Director of Portfolio at MEST Africa, Melissa Nsiah said:
“It hasn’t been an easy process. Mostly because, this year, we saw so many valid business models and met some incredible founders with huge visions that align very closely with ours. But in the final analysis we were able to zero in on the cream of the crop to select the top 5 companies from Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal and South Africa in alignment with this year’s selection criteria. Our team is eager to work closely with each of the 5 finalists in preparation towards the final competition day in December.”
Highlights of the finalists of the 2022 MEST Africa Challenge:
Hisa Inc (Kenya)
Hisa mobile app allows anyone in Kenya to invest in US stocks, ETFs and Kenyan stocks with as little as $5. Hisa is also building the tech infrastructure to power financial institutions so that they can offer embedded finance or investing as part of their core services. Learn more here: https://hisa.co/
Sproutly Inc (Nigeria)
A digital banking, tuition financing solution for teens & students as well as payments, education management and credits for schools. Learn more here https://sproutlyhq.com/
Kwely Inc (Senegal)
An innovative made-in-Africa B2B brand incubation and digital distribution platform.
Swoove Inc (Ghana)
Swoove is a last mile delivery and fulfilment tech start-up building ecommerce infrastructure for SME’s and commerce companies in Africa. Learn more here https://www.swoove.delivery
Desert Green Africa Agri-Investments (South Africa)
Desert Green is an Agritech transforming the informal Agri-value chain in Africa by providing a more efficient delivery of Fresh produce from small scale farmers to informal traders. Learn more here www.desertgreen.co.za
MEST will provide the winning start-up with investment capital to the amount of $50,000, coaching and access to a global network of resources and partners as they build and scale successful businesses that add value to African economies and livelihoods.
All participating start-ups will have the opportunity to benefit from a host of exciting perks from MEST Africa and its strategic partners including global visibility, building their networks, professional coaching, mentorship from experts, and the opportunity to join the global MEST community for lifetime benefits.
About the 2022 MEST Africa Challenge
In its fourth year, MAC 2022 called for technology start-ups in 5 African markets – Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal, and South Africa to vie for the ultimate prize of USD 50,000 in equity investment. Finalists will gain exclusive access to the MEST Community including expert business coaches and mentors, global investors, and a wide selection of perk prizes and packages contributed by MEST partners across the continent. Finalists from each country will attend the MEST Africa Demo Day in Accra, Ghana on December 1st, 2022, where they will once again compete on a global stage for up to $50,000 in equity investment and the opportunity to join the MEST Portfolio and global community.
The competition has received thousands of applications from around the continent since its inception. About MEST Africa:
MEST is a pan-African software and entrepreneurship training program, seed fund, and incubator helping to launch technology start-ups across the continent. Founded in Ghana in 2008 by serial entrepreneur Jorn Lyseggen, MEST is a 12-month program that provides critical skills training in software development, business, and communications to Africa’s burgeoning tech talent. MEST provides seed funding for the best ideas coming out of the program and continues to support the growth and development of its portfolio companies.
To date, MEST has trained 1000s of entrepreneurs from across the continent and invested in over 80 start-ups across industries from Agritech, Fintech, SaaS, eCommerce, Digital Media, and Healthcare amongst others. MEST is fully funded by the Meltwater Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Norwegian company Meltwater; a global leader in social and media intelligence headquartered in San Francisco.
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