Three startups were named winners of the recent Last Mile Innovation Nexus event in Johannesburg, where companies had the chance to pitch to and connect with more than 100 supply chain leaders.
Hosted by FarEye in collaboration with Microsoft, the event provides South African logistics startups with a unique chance to forge connections with major companies such as Woolworths, Pick N Pay, Massmart, Homechoice, Clicks Group, Media24 and more.
Judges, including Vuyo Angoma-Mzini from Launch Africa Ventures, Ntsako Mgiba from The Delta, Gautam Kumar from FarEye Technologies, and Merlin Otto from Massmart, evaluated startup pitches and provided feedback on how the startups could scale their solutions.
Three startups came out on top. Solarbox was named overall winner, securing a cash prize of ZAR100,000 (US$6,000), while SHIMI and ABEOD came in second and third place respectively.
“South Africa is a key market with immense potential for disruptive logistics solutions. With the rapid growth of e-commerce and the entry of global players like Amazon, Shein, and Walmart, the need for scalable, efficient last-mile delivery systems is more urgent than ever. This initiative is designed to equip South African startups with the tools they need to thrive in this dynamic environment,” FarEye’s co-founder and CEO Kushal Nahata said.
