Eight Kenyan startups are among 45 African startups that have been selected by Viva Technology and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for the first edition of the AfricaTech Awards.
The initiative seeks 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.
Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, and Morocco showed the highest participation rates of the companies which were selected out of a pool of more than 300 applications.
Overall, FinTech is the category that received the most applications (124), followed by Health Tech (95), and Climate Tech (93).
Nearly 60 percent of the applicant start-ups have at least one woman on their board.
Makhtar Diop, IFC’s Managing Director said the quality of the applications 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.
“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 Technology Co-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.”