MEST Africa Challenge 2022: Here are the shortlisted startups going into the regional competition stage
MEST Africa has announced a shortlist of 36 qualified technology startups from 5 African countries who will be going into the regional pitch competition stage of the 2022 MEST Africa Challenge.
The Next Stage of the Competition
MEST has shared some key updates on the MEST Africa Challenge and the upcoming regional competitions.
The regional competition stage will see the shortlisted startups placed into 4 main pitching groups that will participate in virtual pitch competitions scheduled to take place between 10th and 13th October 2022. Each pitch competition will be adjudicated by a panel of expert judges from around the continent.
From the regional pitch stage, 10 finalists will be selected for the next stage, which will consist of individual interviews with the company founders. Following the interview stage, 5 startups will be selected, one from each market, to come to Ghana for the Final Pitch Competition and Demo Day.
Speaking on the selection process and changes to the regional competitions, the Director of Portfolio at MEST Africa Melissa Nsiah said:
MAC has been an absolute thrill and we aren’t even at the finals yet! From planning, to launching the actual competition, combing through 100’s of applications, the entire journey to select our top 37 startups to move forward to regional finals has been an exciting learning curve. Moving forward from last year’s fully virtual competition, I am impressed by the planning team’s creative approach in merging both virtual and in person pitch styles to widen our audience and deliver the best overall experience for our partners and contestants alike.
Meet the MAC Regional Finalists:
| STARTUP | SECTOR | COUNTRY |
| Digistore | Fintech | Ghana |
| Wala Digital Health | Health Tech | Ghana |
| Swoove Inc | Logistics Tech | Ghana |
| AppCycling Ghana LTD | E-Waste Management & Recycling | Ghana |
| Utopia Technologies | Technology | Ghana |
| GAPhealth Technologies Ltd. | Health tech | Ghana |
| Synatech Africa | Software as a Service | Kenya |
| Nutritech Solutions | Health care | Kenya |
| Afriagrimark Enterprise Limited | AgriTech | Kenya |
| MOBI-REMIT SOLUTIONS LIMITED | Financial Technology | Kenya |
| EASYHOUSE AFRICA | Proptech/Fintech/Edtech | Kenya |
| mSwali | Mobile gaming | Kenya |
| Hisa Inc | Fintech | Kenya |
| ZEDA BROTHERS LTD (Parent Company)/ Helene | ERP/Accounting | Nigeria |
| Mytherapist.ng Mental Health Services | Mental Health / Wellness | Nigeria |
| Angel’s Radar | Financial Services | Nigeria |
| Fostaco | Agriculture | Nigeria |
| Bridge Merchant Enterprise | Agritech | Nigeria |
| AWI Agricultural Venture | Agri-Tech | Nigeria |
| Sanwo Technologies Limited | TrustTech | Nigeria |
| ROYALTI DIGITAL MUSIC SOLUTIONS LIMITED | Media & Entertainment | Nigeria |
| Niteon LLC | Marketplace, Procurement, Logistics, web 3.0 | Nigeria |
| MyFoodAngels | AgricTech/FoodTEch | Nigeria |
| Goods and Services 360 Ltd | Clean Cooking | Nigeria |
| Sproutly Inc. | Fintech/ Edtech | Nigeria |
| KaCyber Technologies | ICT (Transport Tech) | Senegal |
| Kweli SAS / Kweli Inc | B2B Marketplace | Senegal |
| INSURIS | INSURTECH | Sénégal |
| Sodishop | E-commerce/ elogistique | Senegal |
| PROXALYS | Retail/Ecommerce | Senegal |
| SENDRA (Sénégalaise de Déconstruction et de Recyclage Automobile) | CleanTech | Senegal |
| Dots for Inc. | Telecommunication and information technology in African rural areas | Senegal |
| Zimi Charge (Pty) Ltd | E-Mobility | South Africa |
| Dove Air Inc | Healthcare | South Africa |
| Thumel Technologies | Logistic | South Africa |
| Desert Green Africa Agri Investments | Agritech | South Africa |
Key benefits of the program:
- Funding of up to $50,000 for the winning startup
- Perk prizes from MEST’s Strategic Partners
- Global visibility
- Opportunity to build your networks
- Professional coaching
- Mentorship from experts
- Opportunity to join the global MEST Community for lifetime benefits
Learn more and follow the journeys of the selected startups here.
About the 2022 MEST Africa Challenge
In its fourth year, MAC 2022 is a call for technology startups in 5 African markets – Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal and South Africa to vie for the ultimate prize of USD 50,000 in equity investment. Finalists will gain exclusive access to the MEST Community including expert business coaches and mentors, global investors and a wide selection of perk prizes and packages contributed by MEST partners across the continent. Finalists from each country will attend the MEST Africa Demo Day in Accra, Ghana on December 1st 2022, where they will once again compete on a global stage for up to $50,000 in equity investment and the opportunity to join the MEST Portfolio and global community.
The competition has received thousands of applications from around the continent since its inception. It has spotlighted and impacted the growth of winning startups such as Tanzania’s Kilimo Fresh, Ghana’s OZE, South Africa’s Snode Technologies, Kenya’s Waya Waya, and Nigeria’s Accounteer.
About MEST Africa:
MEST is a pan-African software and entrepreneurship training program, seed fund, and incubator helping to launch technology startups across the continent. Founded in Ghana in 2008 by serial entrepreneur Jorn Lyseggen, MEST is a 12-month program that provides critical skills training in software development, business, and communications to Africa’s burgeoning tech talent. MEST provides seed funding for the best ideas coming out of the program and continues to support the growth and development of its portfolio companies.
To date, MEST has trained 1000s of entrepreneurs from across the continent and invested in over 80 startups across industries from Agritech, Fintech, SaaS, eCommerce, Digital Media, and Healthcare amongst others. MEST is fully funded by the Meltwater Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Norwegian company Meltwater; a global leader in social and media intelligence headquartered in San Francisco. Learn more at www.meltwater.org
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