VunaPay, a Kenyan startup revolutionizing instant payments for farmers, has triumphed at the Latitude59 Pitch Competition hosted yesterday at A.S.K. Dome in Nairobi. This is the second time Latitude59, Estonia’s flagship start-up and tech event, has hosted a satellite event in Kenya.
While the pitch competition attracted over 380 applications from 37 countries, with only ten startups making it to the final pitch stage. VunaPay emerged victorious, impressing the jury with its impactful solution for farmers and its scalable potential; the win secures the young startup a trip and a booth at Latitude59 2025 in Tallinn, covered by Latitude59. In addition, VunaPay will get a fast-track access to Tallinn’s Pitch Competition 2025.
Over the course of the day yesterday, nearly 2,000 tech entrepreneurs, investors, enthusiasts, and innovators journeyed to take part in the event from across the globe.
The Kenyan Wall Street caught up with Latitude59’s CEO, Liisi Org who stated that while the final competition was tough, the jury unanimously selected VunaPay as the winner. “I was glad to witness three female founders pitching on stage, all of them leading impact startups. This year’s focus was heavily on impact-driven solutions, and there were many strong candidates—most were ready to raise a round and had properly functioning products!”
Org also highlighted Latitude59’s growing success in Kenya over the past two years: “Thanks to our deeper understanding of the ecosystem and incredible partners and friends here in Kenya, this event exceeded our expectations. We’re already planning for next year, with the ambition to become the highest-quality startup and tech event in Africa,” she said.
Daniel Erik Schaer, Estonian Ambassador to Kenya and South Africa, highlighted the importance of collaboration between Kenya and Estonia: “Estonia is a small country, and partnerships are essential for us. Many of our bold startups are already active in Africa, so I hope you’ll use this opportunity to connect, explore, and work together to create something extraordinary.”
