36 start-ups through to next MEST Africa round

MEST Africa this morning announced a shortlist of 36 qualified technology start-ups from five African countries who will be going into the regional pitch competition stage of a continent-wide challenge.

The regional competition stage will see the shortlisted start-ups placed into four main pitching groups that will participate in virtual competitions this week. Each competition will be judged by a panel of experts from around the continent.

From the regional pitch stage, 10 finalists will be selected for the next stage, which will consist of individual interviews with the company founders. Following this stage, five start-ups will be selected, one from each market, to travel to Ghana for the final round.

MEST Africa director of portfolio Melissa Nsiah said, “MAC has been an absolute thrill and we aren’t even at the finals yet! From planning, to launching the actual competition, combing through hundreds of applications, the entire journey to select our top 36 start-ups to move forward to regional finals has been an exciting learning curve.

“Moving forward from last year’s fully virtual competition, I am impressed by the planning team’s creative approach in merging both virtual and in person pitch styles to widen our audience and deliver the best overall experience for our partners and contestants alike.”

Among the MAC regional finalists are Ghanaian fintech Digistore, Kenyan agritech Afriagrimark Enterprise Limited, the Nigerian mental health service Mytherapist.ng, the Senegalese insurtech Insuris, and South African agritech Desert Green Africa Agri Investments.

Key benefits of the programme include:

• funding of up to $50,000 for the winning start-up.
• perk prizes from MEST’s strategic partners.
• global visibility.
• opportunity to build your networks.
• professional coaching.
• mentorship from experts.
• opportunity to join the global MEST Community for lifetime benefits.

Learn more and follow the journeys of the selected start-ups here.

MEST is a pan-African software and entrepreneurship training programme, seed fund, and incubator helping to launch technology start-ups across the continent. Founded in Ghana in 2008 by serial entrepreneur Jorn Lyseggen, it is a 12-month programme that provides critical skills training in software development, business, and communications to Africa’s burgeoning tech talent.

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