PIVOT East has unveiled semifinalist for this year’s competition after a call for applications in February 2014 with startups from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia.
PIVOT East is East Africa’s premier mobile startups pitching competition and conference held annually since 2011. The competition is comprised of a series of activities that culminate in the finalists conference. This year’s finalists conference will be held in Nairobi, Kenya after a successful event in Kampala Uganda in 2013.
To get the best from the region PIVOT East has partnered with tech hubs which include: Outbox (Uganda), Hive Colab (Uganda), Kinu (Tanzania), Buni (Tanzania), kLab (Rwanda), iceaddis (Ethiopia), iBiz Africa (Kenya) and C4DLab (Kenya) to take part in the 2014 edition of the competition. Then 50 semifinalists were selected to compete to be among the top 25 as finalists to be unveiled at the the conference on 24th – 25th June. The panel for selection of the final top 25 consists of over 15 active investors among them venture capital firms, angel investors and impact investors.
Mobile Finance Category
1. GO Finance Company Ltd: GO, leverages business value chains & technology to provide MSMEs at the base of the pyramid.- Tanzania
2. Inforex Africa: Inforex,platform enabling communication and forex trading between Forex Bureaus and offers current Forex information to the public.-Uganda
3. M-Duka Ltd: M-Duka, an online virtual products platform that allows users to purchase or retail virtual products using their mobile phones.- Uganda
4. DEPHICS Ltd: TiME, a mobile application aimed at enhancing purchasing and payment of tickets from any location and at any time.-Tanzania
5. intelworld Ltd: A solution that integrates into major payments providers to enables businesses to transact online , using feature phones (USSD and SMS) and offline using POS.
Mobile Enterprise Category
1. SleepOut.com: SleepOut, SMS-driven booking process connects both commercial and peer-to-peer hosts with guests and agents.-Kenya
2. SchoolMaster Solutions : An information portal for parents and school administrators, available as a web application as well as a mobile app for Android devices.- Uganda
3. echorest Technologies Ltd: echorest, an android application that is a real-time,proximate-based buyer-powered market place that tries to connect buyers and seller through sms and email. – Kenya
4. Mank and Tank : Virtual Classrooms on mobile devices that allow users to access educational material,create digital content,present & share info. – Kenya
5. Binary Logic: Meka,a mobile and web product and price reference platform that gives you information about anything you would like to buy, capability to order online, as well as GPS direction to the store. Uganda
Mobile Society Category
1. Kytabu: Kytabu, is a micro-leasing textbook subscription application that enables students to get just the material they need to learn, when they need it, wherever they are and pay for just that piece of content while they have it. – Kenya
2. iDaktari Ltd: iDaktari,a multi-platform healthcare system tailored for doctors with private practices that simplifies information management and security. -Kenya
3. Skoobox: Skoobox, an academic-networking platform for students that provides them with a platform to share and make the learning process more connected and open.- Kenya
4. Ecademy Africa: eShule, a mobile app that will offer career and college counseling, and alternative eLearning via online courses and exams for high school students.- Kenya
5. Code Vision Ltd: BrainShare, a mobile and web application that enables students to easily access academic content such as past papers and simplified notes. – Uganda
Mobile Entertainment Category
1. Jooist: Jooist, a social gaming network for mobile phones. It enables users to discover, download and play free games, compare scores & achievements with friends. – Kenya
2. Kola Studios: Matatu, is a two-player card game based on the popular Ugandan game played with a pack of cards.The game can be played on Mobile (Android) and on Facebook. – Uganda
3. TiVi: TiVi,delivers program guides, gossip, reviews & spoilers direct to your phone. – Kenya
4. 254Events: 254Events, a mobile and web platform that gives information regarding events and purchasing of the event’s tickets.- Kenya
5. Tokelezea: Tokelezea, a mobile application that provides a dynamic guide to your neighborhood fun list, it enables you to find out what your friends are up to and also brings relevant reviews and related news. – Kenya
Mobile Utilities Category
1. Ma3Route: Ma3Route, crowd-sources for traffic and transport information from locals in order to provide users with up-to-date information that can inform their movements. – Kenya
2. SmartShop: Smart_Shop, allows supermarkets to be able to offer shopping via the mobile phone by offering a platform where customers can view real prices from and enhance their shopping experience. – Kenya
3. TrueDine: TrueDine, restaurant recommendation and reservation app that helps you discover restaurants, explore menus and make instant table reservations. – Uganda
4. The Diet Assistant Ltd: The DietAssistant, a mobile diet solution that recommends healthy and affordable meals composed of locally available and accessible foods. – Uganda
5. Habari App: Habari app, lets you read the news that matters to you when it’s convenient. – Kenya
