The World Startup Awards (GSA) Africa platform continues to ascertain itself because the premier stage for startups, showcasing progressive options, attracting investments, and gaining worldwide visibility.
This yr, the competitors has witnessed a record-breaking variety of entries and public engagement, highlighting the strong and dynamic entrepreneurial panorama throughout the continent.
Of the 11,949 entries, Southern Africa accounted for 28%, the very best among the many 5 areas (Northern, Japanese, Western, Central, and Southern Africa). This yr, Southern Africa led for the primary time, with a 65% improve in entries in comparison with final yr, proving to be probably the most aggressive area.
The next 5 international locations are represented among the many Southern regional winners: South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, and Angola.
Key Southern African highlights for 2024 embrace:
- The highest three classes are: Fintech, Greentech and Healthtech
- New pioneering applied sciences coming to the market within the Greentech and Healthtech classes.
- Of the 14 Southern Africa winners South Africa leads with 10 finalists, adopted by winners from Botswana, Namibia, and Angola.
- The highest SDGs the startups are fixing for are SDG 8 (Respectable Work and Financial Progress), SDG 9 (Business, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 13 (Local weather Motion), and SDG 4 (High quality Schooling).
- Startup improvement phases: ideation (1.7%), pre-seed (33%), seed (31%), progress (32.3%), and maturity and exit (2%)
The 14 Southern African winners have been introduced and celebrated yesterday [Thursday 18th of July] in Cape City at UVU Africa our nation accomplice. To view go to right here.
“How thrilling it’s to witness the vibrancy of Africa’s tech scene by the World Startup Awards. It’s a particular honour to see that 10 of my fellow South Africans – eight of them from my hometown of Cape City – are among the many 14 winners of this yr’s awards. The Metropolis of Cape City proudly helps the event of our native tech scene as evidenced by our funding of UVU Africa, one of the crucial prolific tech incubators on the continent. Congratulations to each single winner and I look ahead to seeing the nice issues you’ll proceed to do for communities throughout Africa,” mentioned Alderman James Vos, the Metropolis of Cape City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Financial Progress.
The Northern, Japanese, Western and Central regional winners have been all introduced this week and will be considered right here. These distinctive startups, representing 22 African nations, will compete on the regional degree, with the African finalists to be topped in October on the GSA Africa Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – GSA Africa’s host nation for 2024.
A historic public voting turnout noticed 215,210 folks casting their votes to find out the winners, alongside a panel of knowledgeable judges who evaluated the entries. The panel of jury members consists of internationally famend sector-focused business leaders, ecosystem enablers, and influential people from throughout Africa within the tech innovation area.
“African entrepreneurs are paving the way in which for the continent’s future, and this yr’s competitors has highlighted this brilliantly. The range in enterprise ambitions is spectacular, and past agritech, training, and fintech options, sectors like pharmacy, eMobility, and aerospace are beginning to play a stronger function. These startups are making vital impacts of their communities, international locations, areas, and past,” famous Jury member Guido Schwartz, Basis for Area Improvement Africa.
Key Traits Famous from the 2024 World Startup Awards Africa Season:
- From a formidable 11,949 entries – a 44% improve since 2023 – spanning 52 African international locations, the startups represented varied improvement phases: ideation (3.4%), pre-seed (28.7%), seed (34%), progress (30.6%), and maturity and exit (3.6%). To this point, 27,814 startups have participated in GSA Africa.
- Mobility and Logistics: As rural-urban migration intensifies and the inhabitants is projected to double by 2050, the demand for dependable and inclusive mobility and logistics options is predicted to develop considerably. Unsurprisingly entries on this class have risen from 11% in 2023 to 19% in 2024 and embrace options for mass transport in addition to digital logistics coordination platforms.
- Inexperienced Tech: For the reason that inaugural GSA Africa in 2021, options aligned with SDG 13 (Local weather Motion) have tripled. This class noticed a 14% illustration in entries, with 77% of the Greentech startups planning to hitch the carbon market throughout the subsequent 12-24 months. Profitable startups embrace the World South’s first Direct Air Seize (DAC) firm,
- Agriculture: Accounting for 15% of complete entries, this class showcased improvements like micro-financing and AI options for smallholder farmers, alongside a startup revolutionizing the biomaterials business by harnessing the facility of bioengineering to transform agricultural waste into sustainable, carbon-neutral polymers
- Well being Tech: With 12% of entries, this class noticed vital progress in telehealth options, pharmaceutical provide chain improvements, last-mile supply options, and specialised well being prevention applied sciences. 70% of the well being tech entries fall into digital well being, AI, and machine studying, with medical units and psychological well being applied sciences comprising the remaining.“
The well being sector improvements have been really inspiring. The candidates showcased groundbreaking options with the potential to revolutionize healthcare supply within the area. It was encouraging to witness the convergence of expertise and healthcare, paving the way in which for improved well being outcomes and sustainable improvement,” famous Jury member Farai Chirongoma, UNDP.
- • Fintech: Representing 27% of all entries, this yr noticed a various vary of fintech options together with digital currencies, digital-only banks, banking-as-a-service (BaaS), funds, ecommerce, and automation. For the primary time, the competitors has fintech finalists from Sudan and Morocco and a novel commerce resolution for a cell world.
- Youth: That includes 10% of entries from founders underneath 26, this demographic’s entrepreneurial spirit fosters the expansion of recent industries and sectors, thereby mitigating financial vulnerability by financial diversification. Profitable options embrace the primary electronically financed commerce platform for medical consumables and provides, a neighborhood mobilization initiative selling holistic well being, innovation, and self-reliance, a expertise startup centered on sustainable drone manufacturing and automation and a gamified English studying platform aimed toward enhancing kids’s studying literacy throughout Africa.
- Girls in Tech: This class noticed a 34% improve in entries since 2023, celebrating options and initiatives devoted to closing the gender hole and empowering girls to embrace expertise.
The 14 continental winners shall be introduced on the GSA Africa Summit, in Ethiopia in October 2024; a vital platform for collaboration, inspiring formidable concepts, forging connections, and selling collective huge pondering.
The winners then progress to the worldwide stage to current their groundbreaking improvements in 2025.
Kim Balle, Co-Founding father of The World Startup Awards, shares: “Startups from the African Startup Awards have proven great improvement, fixing issues with options relevant past Africa. The startup world is transitioning, with lowering entry limitations to data, capital, and expertise mastery. African startups are actually technically superior and constructed to scale, particularly in sectors addressing international points. I’m assured we’ll see unicorns among the many GSA Africa alumni winners quickly.”
Regional winners could have the chance to have interaction with the GIIG Africa Fund, recognized for balancing tech innovation’s industrial success with social impression. By investing in worthwhile and socially accountable options, GIIG ensures startups contribute to broader societal advantages.
“GIIG’s long-term imaginative and prescient is to create sustainable companies with a optimistic impression, fostering innovation-driven economies and positioning Africa as a pacesetter in addressing international challenges by progressive options,” remarked Jo Griffiths, co-founder of GIIG and GSA Africa.
“We nurture interconnected communities by belief, experience, and networks, selling cross-border collaboration and market entry to drive systemic transformation and sustainable improvement throughout the continent”, he added.
