Meet the nine startups pitching at Seedstars Harare

Seedstars World, the startup competition for emerging markets, has selected nine startups that will pitch at Seedstars Harare 2018 this Friday (29 June).

The nine will pitch for an opportunity to attend the regional and global Seedstars Summits. Startups that get to pitch at the global summit in Switzerland stand to win over $1-million in investment.

The startups selected to pitch on Friday are solving local issues that include energy, agriculture, and education.

This year’s event, which takes place weeks before Zimbabweans head to the polls, will feature an extra focus on civic technology, with two of the nine finalists addressing civic participation.

This year’s Seedstars Harare pitch contest features a focus on tech solutions addressing civic participation

In a statement yesterday (26 June), Seedstars regional manager for Africa Claudio Makadristo said her organisation was proud to have a civictech-focused event in Zimbabwe.

“Keeping a very close eye on the innovations that can reshape the relationship between citizens and the society we expect to have an impact not only in the country, but in Africa in general,” said Makadristo.

A jury panel that includes: Omidyar Network consultant Sharon Wekwete, the UN Development Programme national economist Ethel Bangwayo, Old Mutual senior manager for Africa marketing strategy and planning Lilian Mbayiwa, and Dandemutande Investments CEO Nhena Nyagura will select the winners.

Seedstars Harare, which will take place at at Impact Hub Harare, will be open to members of the public and press. Those looking to attend can register here.

These are the nine:

VoteAfrica: VoteAfrica is a civictech startup that aims to educate, motivate and empower voters to “fully own the electoral process and hold elected officials accountable”.

The startup does this by providing the electorate with offline educational material through a mobile app where users can access information on political parties, polling stations, and election results.

More importantly, VoteAfrica claims its app, which uses artificial intelligence, allows users to ask and get information on election-related questions in real time. The app also allows users to act as election observers by sending reports, images. The startup was founded in 2016 by software developer Norman Dube.

Wellnescript: This healthtech startup, which was founded in 2014, uses its digital platform and wellness coaches to help individuals with non-communicable diseases like diabetes and hypertenstion track their wellness.

In addition the platform also enables clinicians to access user data and make informed clinical decisions relating to the platform’s users.

Wellnescript’s founders include executive director Reggie Mutetwa.

Rera: Founded in 2014, this Harare-based agritech startup’s has developed an online platform that helps users run their own poultry farms. Rera’s end-to-end farming service assists users with input procurement and production.

ParcelTip: This Harare-based logistics startup claims it can deliver parcels “at half the usual cost”. ParcelTip, which was founded by , runs a peer to peer courier service that pays travellers to use their excess capacity.

Renewable Loop: This cleantech startup wants to disrupt Zimbabwe’s commuter omnibus industry with its UXET commuting service that will use vans running on biogas. Founded in 2016, Renewable Loop’s founders include Michael Kamuzonde.

Leaph: Edtech startup Leaph has developed an academic management system that uses data science and machine learning to help students get the most out of their learning experience and attain better results. The startup was founded this year by CEO Nick Nyaumwe.

Futuremed: Healthtech startup Futuremed uses artificial intelligence, telemedicine and biometrics to diagnose and monitor the treatment of tuberculosis, HIV, and malaria.

Justice Today: Bulawayo-based legaltech startup Justice Today aims to use its AI-enabled app to educate citizens on legal matters, crime and the constitution. The startup’s app allows users to capture and report crime scenes, access an electronic copy of the constitution and find a lawyer.

YouFarm: Founded last year by John-Paul Matenga, this Harare-based agritech startup aims to provide small scale and commercial farmers in Zimbabwe with alternative funding through its YouFarm Crowd Farming Platform.

YouFarm’s platform enables anyone to invest in crop and livestock, and ultimately share profits with farmers when the produce goes to market. The startup mitigates investor risk by using satellite and drone tech, crop insurance, and by providing farmers with training as well as access to experienced agronomists.