MIT Inclusive Innovation Challenge has announced its 2018 finalists for Africa. The list is made up of 9 start-ups across three different categories.
The categories include; income growth and job creation, skills development and opportunity matching as well as technology access. Here is the breakdown of the start-ups under each category.
Technology Access
Safi Organics
Safi Organics is an agro-business start-up that was founded in April 2015 by Kevin Kung and Samuel Rigu, with headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. The start-up produces and sells organic fertilizer to rural farmers.
Solar Freeze
Solar Freeze is a renewable energy start-up that provides small-scale farmers with access to solar powered tools for better agricultural productivity and founded by Dismas Kisilu and Kisilu Kombo in January 2017. It has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya with availability in Ethiopia as well.
AgroCenta
Founded in 2015 by Francis Obirikorang and Michael K. Ocansey. AgroCenta is an online platform that connects smallholder farmers directly to the market. The company is ably backed by GreenTec Capital Partners who support them with funding, business development, and network access.
The Ghanian based start-up has raised has raised at least $500,000 in seed funding having won the Seedstars World Global Competition 2018.
Income Growth and Job Creation
Wefarm
Founded in 2015 by Kenny Ewan. Wefarm is a free, digital, peer-to-peer knowledge sharing network available by SMS for the world’s 500 million small-scale farmers who have no internet. The start-up refers to itself as the “world’s largest farmer-to-farmer digital network” with 1.4M questions asked, 2.3M answers given, 980.1k farmers registered as well as 119.4M messages shared.
Wefarm has raised at least $6.6M in funding. With their latest round of funding being the $5M that they raised in March, 2018 in a round led by True Ventures.
PrepClass
PrepClass is a platform that connects African learners with tutors who provide the “highest quality of education” to help them reach their learning goals. It was founded in 2013 by Obanor Chukwuwezam and Ogunlana Olumide, PrepClass headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria.
Wesabi
Wesabi is a Nigerian online service network platform that connects skilled and unskilled workers in the blue-collar sector to individuals and business. The start-up was founded in 2015 by Sanni Murtala and Zainab Oyewo, with headquarters in Lagos. Wesabi has raised at least $20,000 in seed funding.
Also See: MIT Legatum Center and Mastercard Foundation Announces shortlist for the 2018 Zambezi Prize
Skills Development & Opportunity Matching
Lynk
Lynk is a technology platform that builds an ‘entrepreneurship infrastructure’ to connect workers to clients – targeting the informal sector. The company was founded in 2015 by Adam Grunewald and Johannes Degn with headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
Brave Venture Labs
Brave Venture Labs is a talent-matching software that uses artificial intelligence to identify and match skilled people to companies hiring in Africa and was founded in 2016 by Ibanga Umanah and Jessica Colaco, with a base in Nairobi, Kenya.
Moringa School
Moringa School is a Kenya-based accelerator that provides digital and professional skills training for aspiring developers. Founded in 2014, by Audrey Cheng and Frank Tamre, the startup operates in Nairobi but has extended relations beyond the city.
MIT said that the first-place winner in each category, together with the Zambezi Prize Winner, will proceed to the Global Grand Prize Celebration at MIT.
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