The MEST Africa, in strategic partnership with Absa Group, has unveiled the ten startups selected as finalists for the 2025 edition of the MEST Africa Challenge (MAC), signalling increased momentum in fintech innovation across the continent.
Following virtual semi-final pitches conducted on 28 and 29 October, the finalists were drawn from a competitive application pool spanning eight African markets aligned with Absa’s strategic footprint: Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Uganda and Zambia.
The ten finalists are:
- mystocks.africa (Botswana)
- Credify Africa Inc (Uganda)
- Logistify AI (Kenya)
- Kutana Technologies Ltd (Ghana)
- Investa Farm (Kenya)
- Black Swan (Mauritius)
- Mighty Finance Solution Inc (Zambia)
- Devdraft AI (Zambia)
- Kanzu Finance Ltd (Uganda)
- Farmsky (Kenya)
According to Ashwin Ravichandran, Portfolio Advisor and MAC Lead at MEST Africa, the selection reflects a shift toward deeper, commercially viable fintech solutions: “We’re seeing founders build financial systems that are inclusive, intelligent, and unmistakably African. The Top 10 exemplify the kind of purposeful innovation driving Africa’s next wave of growth.”
The 2025 competition emphasises fintech and embedded financial-value-chain solutions, marking a move from a region-first to a sector-first approach. Eligible startups were required to operate in one or more of Absa’s stated priority markets and meet early-stage criteria, including being technology-enabled, offering digital financial services and demonstrating traction.
The finalists will advance to the Grand Finale, scheduled for 26 November 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa. The winner will receive US $50,000 in equity investment, entry into the MEST portfolio and an opportunity to launch a pilot project with Absa business units.
Implications:
• For African tech ecosystems, the announcement signals that the continent’s fintech startups are increasingly being judged on scale, commercial viability and alignment with broader financial-inclusion goals rather than novelty alone.
• For investors, the MAC finalists represent a curated pipeline of high-potential fintech ventures operating across multiple African markets.
• For corporate partners and consultants working in Africa’s innovation-economy sector, the Absa-MEST partnership underscores how financial institutions are actively scouting for embedded-finance and value-chain-fintech opportunities.
What to watch:
• Which of the finalists executes a successful pilot with Absa and transitions into a full commercial rollout.
• The performance of the winning startup post-competition in terms of funding, geographic expansion and market adoption.
• How subsequent editions of MAC further refine the sector focus and deepen engagement between fintech founders, corporate banks and investors.
For more information visit the website.
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