Fifty-six African startups, investors and other ecosystem stakeholders have been named regional winners of the East, North, Southern and West African legs of the Global Startup Awards competition, and will now compete at a continental final.
GSA Africa is the largest independent startup ecosystem competition on the continent and the exclusive vehicle for the GIIG Africa Fund to find, fund and scale Africa’s most innovative startups with Sustainable Development Goal-aligned solutions.
In all, the third edition of the competition received 11,949 entries, which have now been narrowed down to 56 regional winners from 22 countries. There are 14 each from Eastern Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, and Western Africa.
These startups and other ecosystem players will now compete at the continental level, with the African finalists to be crowned in October at the GSA Africa Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Regional winners will have the opportunity to engage with the GIIG Africa Fund, known for balancing tech innovation’s commercial success with social impact. By investing in profitable and socially responsible solutions, GIIG ensures startups contribute to broader societal benefits.
“GIIG’s long-term vision is to create sustainable businesses with a positive impact, fostering innovation driven economies and positioning Africa as a leader in addressing global challenges through innovative solutions,” said Jo Griffiths, co-founder of GIIG and GSA Africa.
“We nurture interconnected communities through trust, expertise, and networks, promoting cross-border collaboration and market access to drive systemic transformation and sustainable development across the continent.”