Tanzanian agri-tech startup Kilimo Fresh, a digital distributor of fresh produce to hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, institutions, wholesalers and export markets, has been named winner of the MEST Africa Challenge, winning US$50,000 in equity investment.
Startups from Ethiopia, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Rwanda, Ghana, Tanzania, Senegal, Nigeria and South Africa were selected to take part in the MEST Africa Challenge, run by pan-African training programme, seed fund, incubator and hub MEST Africa.
Aimed at post-revenue, tech-enabled startups that want to expand into new markets, the challenge, which last year had three winners, offered the winning company US$50,000 in equity investment, plus access to Microsoft support, coaching, and a continent-wide network of startup hubs.
After a virtual pitch event held today (August 12), Tanzania’s Kilimo Fresh was named the winner. The startup is developing digital farming solutions, and will now benefit from MEST support and funding.
Ethiopia’s Debo Engineering, which matches farmers with agro service providers, was awarded the community prize.
