Nigerian startup Fresh Direct NG, an agri-tech company that grows produce within shipping containers, has been named winner of the She Leads Africa demo day, taking home a NGN2 million (US$6,300) cash prize.
She Leads Africa is a community that helps young African women achieve their professional dreams, with the demo day representing the closing ceremony of its six-month accelerator, supported by the Work in Progress! Alliance and Guaranty Trust Bank.
The accelerator worked with 10 promising companies looking to grow and scale their businesses, with five pitching at demo day in front of judges including Ben White, founder of Venture Capital for Africa, Ololade Fadoju, head of Guaranty Trust Bank’s SME MarketHub e-commerce platform, and Eloho Omame, CEO of Amari Ltd.
Fresh Direct NG was named the winner. An urban farm within the heart of Abuja, within a 20ft shipping container, Fresh Direct NG can grow the same produce as a football pitch and a half.
Second place went to DeliveryBros, a motorbike delivery service which aggregates individuals and SMEs who need pickups with riders from various delivery companies who are in the area. The startup walked away with NGN1 million (US$3,100).
In third place was Vivian Nwakah, co-founder of Medsaf.com, an easy-to-use online platform built for medical service providers such as hospitals, pharmacies and clinics, to purchase and manage medication.
“Since July, it has been absolutely amazing to see the growth and development of these entrepreneurs,” She Leads Africa’s co-founder Afua Osei said.
