Kenyan fintech Hisa Inc is among the 36 African startups selected for the 2022 MEST Africa Challenge. The mobile investment platform that allows anyone in Kenya to invest in U.S. stocks and ETFs using mobile money joins other Kenyan startups including Synatech Africa, Nutritech Solutions, and Afriagrimark Enterprise Limited who will compete for the ultimate prize of $50,000 in equity investment.
Other Kenyan startups selected for the competition include MOBI-REMIT SOLUTIONS LIMITED, EASYHOUSE AFRICA and mSwali.
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 the 10th and 13th of 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 to compete for up to $50k in equity investment and the opportunity to join the Pan-African MEST incubator community.
“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 36 start-ups to move forward to regional finals has been an exciting learning curve.’’ Director of Portfolio at MEST Africa Melissa Nsiah said.
Below is the full list of selected startups for the 2022 MEST Africa Challenge.
| 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 |
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