The Global Startup Awards, describing itself as the biggest independent startup ecosystem competition, has announced the 2023 Global Startup Awards winners. The award ceremony organizes “high-quality Oscar-like awards” for startup ecosystems on a local, regional, and global scale each year.
While headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, Global Startup Awards is already in over 120 countries (divided into 12 regions) on three continents and growing fast. The awards provide startups with international exposure, funding opportunities, and access to a global network of leaders.
It sources the best startups, most influential individuals, and ecosystem players (investors, accelerator programs, coworking offices, and so on) from each region and identifies them for their contribution to the startup ecosystem. This helps create value for stakeholders while also increasing brand awareness for startups.
In this 2023 award list, there were 12 African nominees, but only two winners emerged from the continent.
Read Also: Meet the 4 Africans featured on the 2022 Bloomberg New Economy Catalyst list
Meet the two African startups that won the 2023 Global Startup Award
Emata (Uganda): Best Newcomer
Founded in 2020 by Bram van den Bosch and Timothy Musoke, Emata is a fintech digital lender platform that provides affordable loans to smallholder farmers, revolutionizing how they access financing. The Ugandan company has also collaborated with cooperatives and aggregators to use their data for artificial intelligence-powered alternative credit scoring.
This startup, on the other hand, not only has automated the entire loan process, from data gathering and credit scoring to loan disbursement, but they also cater to small and remote farmers by offering loans as low as UGX 60 000 ($15). With these services, it attempts to disrupt and recover a broken financial system by providing a compelling solution to some of the world’s most underserved populations.
In May 2021, it won the CATAPULT: Inclusion Africa 2021 competition, and in September, it joined the Plug & Play accelerator program. In March 2022, it signed a USD 590.000 facility, securing its first external on-lending-capital. That same year, it was selected to participate in the second edition of the Norrsken Impact Accelerator, a prominent early-stage accelerator.
Kubik (Kenya); Startup of the Year
Founded in 2021 by Kidus Asfaw and Penda Marre, Kubik is an environmental technology company that uses plastic waste to make low-carbon, durable, and affordable buildings. Kubik is on a mission to remove millions of tons of plastic from the environment and turn them into low-carbon buildings of the future.
From schools to clinics, homes to warehouses, Kubik brings environmental dignity to how countries grow and urbanize by making safe, affordable, and durable buildings. Its product is at least 40% cheaper, twice as fast to build, and 5x less polluting than conventional materials.
In June 2022, Kubik startup was named the African winner in Environment, Social & Governance (ESG) Technology and Startup of the Year at the African Startup Awards. In this 2023 Global Startup Awards, it was also nominated for the Best VerTech (Converted from ESG Tech) from the African region.
Who else made it to the finale from the African Region?
8 African startups made it to the African Continental Global Finalist list. They are:
- Workshop 17 (South Africa) was nominated for the Best Co-working Space.
- Treepz (Nigeria) was nominated for the Best VerTech (Converted from Industrial Tech).
- Chekkit (Nigeria) was nominated for the Best VerTech (Converted from Commerce Tech).
- Hlayisani Capital (South Africa) was nominated for VC of the Year.
- My Health Africa (Kenya) was nominated for Best VerTech (Converted from Health Tech).
- Biobuu (Tanzania) was nominated for Best GreenTech (Converted from Best AgriTech).
- AUC Venture Lab (Egypt) was nominated for Best Accelerator/ Incubator Programme.
Two entrepreneurs also made it to the African Continental Global FInalist list. They are:
- Menna Shahin (Egypt) as the Diversity Role Model of the Year (Converted from Women Tech).
- Jon Kornik (South Africa) as the Founder of the Year.
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