Five Kenyan startups were named winners of the returning PIVOT East competition in Nairobi last week after pitching in front of an audience of potential investors, partners and customers.
PIVOT East, organised by iHub, had been held annually since 2011 until it was postponed in 2016. Ater vanishing from the events calendar for 2017 and 2018, it returned for a sixth edition last week, with iHub saying it had refined the programme to ensure maximum value for entrepreneurs, investors and partners.
Twenty-five startups were selected across five categories to pitch at the event. Kenyan startups dominated, with 16 finalists, while seven were from Tanzania and two from Uganda.
Kenyan startups were also winners in all five categories. The Entertainment category was won by Cloud9xp, an online marketplace, booking service and distributor for leisure experiences. The runner-up was Ugandan ticketing platform UGtickets.
The Enterprise category was won by Kenya’s Enfinite Solutions, which has a suite of products that helps law firms and legal departments work more efficiently, while Kenyan “sensor as a service” platform Vipimo came second.
Coinbox, a Kenyan savings startup won the Utilities category, with Tanzanian online legal platform Sheria Kiganjani coming second, while the winner and runner-up in the Social Impact were Kenyan companies AfyaKit, which has developed a data analytics tool for healthcare providers, and Eco Makaa, an e-commerce company that connects local fuel briquette producers to clients.
The winner in the Finance category was Kenya’s Mobishule, which enables parents to access small amounts of school fee cash advances. The runner-up was WorkPay, a workforce management and payment system.
