A total of 19 startups, incubators, investors and other ecosystem support initiatives have been named winners at the annual Southern Africa Startup Awards, held in Johannesburg last week.
The Southern Africa Startup Awards are a circuit of the Global Startup Awards, which shine an annual spotlight on tech startups in more than 63 countries in seven regions.
Winners from the regional awards now go through to the Global Startup Awards, where they stand the chance of winning national prizes. They were selected from 346 regional finalists from 12 countries around the continent.
Best Startup Ecosystem Initiative went to South Africa’s GrowthWheel, a visual toolbox and online platform used by business advisors, incubators, and entrepreneurship educators to help businesses make decisions and take action, while Workshop17 won Best Co-working Space.
South African payments platform Mama Money won Best Fintech Startup, Zambian fashion e-commerce store Zabantu was named Best FashionTech Startup, South African 3D printable educational content producer Why Toyz won Best EduTech Startup, and Angolan health information service Appy Saúde was named Best HealthTech Startup.
Best Food/AgriTech Startup went to Zimbabwean crowd-farming platform YouFarm, Best Water Crisis Management Solution was awarded to South Africa’s Lige, Best Student Startup was the Mauritius-based hospitality company Roomscout, and Best Social Impact Startup was Tanzania’s Toolboksi, which showcases the services of local artisans.
South Africa’s LULA, a mobility startup that connects corporate commuters to private shuttles, was named Startup of the Year, while the Female Role Model of the Year in Tech was South African Lynette Hundermark. Brave Founder of the Year was Mauritian Joseph Rutakangwa, the founder of Rwazi, while Founder of the Year went to Zambian’s Chiinga Musonda and Lynn Musonda Phiri, the co-founders of Savanna Premium Chocolate.
South Africa’s Kalon Venture Partners was Investor of the Year, South Africa’s Momsays was Best Newcomer, South Africa’s The Loudhailer was Best Media Partner, and Namibia’s Dololo was Best Accelerator/Incubator.
People’s Choice went to Mozambique’s Muva, a social incubator focused on expanding innovative approaches to female economic empowerment.
