LIST | 9 of Africa’s Boldest Startups Feted at the 2023 AfricArena Summit in Tunisia

The recently concluded AfricArena Tunisia Summit in October 2023 was yet another great showcase of African startups in a city that is keen to play a big role in African tech**.**

AfricArena is an African tech accelerator that runs Corporate Open Innovation challenges throughout the African continent. It seeks the boldest African startups to showcase, raise funding, and scale internationally, and interested parties can apply here. ​​

Led by AfricArena’s Founder and CEO, Christophe Viarnaud, the summit commemorated the remarkable advancements in Tunisia’s technology sector. Viarnaud highlighted a noticeable increase in investments in recent years.

The summit featured startups from across the African continent, each presenting unique and innovative solutions.

During the awards ceremony, champions from each pitch category were revealed, receiving recognition and assistance for their innovative concepts. These victors not only garnered acknowledgment but also secured a position in the ultimate competition at the AfricArena Cape Town Grand Summit slated for December 5th & 6th 2023.

 Bechir Neifer, Konnect’s Head of Business Development, celebrates winning the Best Seed Startup Award at the AfricArena Tunisia Summit. Neifer, alongside key figures like Nejia Gharbi and Nathaniel Witbooi, exemplifies the spirit of pioneering start-ups shaping Africa’s tech landscape. Photo: Supplied/VIP ServicesBelow are the selected champions per pitch category:

• Best AI Startup: NextAV, Tunisia: NextAV is a geospatial startup specializing in AI-driven remote sensing, utilizing satellite imagery and aerial data. It provides crucial information about extensive assets, including power networks and urban environments, covering areas extending over thousands of kilometers
• Best DeepTech Startup: Kumulus Water, Tunisia: Kumulus Water has created an innovative machine which extracts drinkable water from sun and air, producing 20 to 30 litres daily without electricity or external water sources
• Best EdTech Startup: Gamer’s Territory, South Africa: Gamer’s Territory utilizes gaming and virtual reality to bridge societal divides while their other product called Sgela introduces an interactive educational game that aligns with the national curriculum
• Best HealthTech Start-up: Viventis, Tunisia: Viventis specializes in the design and production of homecare products for chronic illnesses, addressing the elevated costs linked to medical devices through intelligent solutions
• Best Women in Tech AI Startup: Blassa streamlines retail checkout by providing a one-click address collection feature that automatically populates shipping and billing information, ultimately saving users precious time
• Best Seed Startup: Konnect, Tunisia: Konnect, a pioneer in online payment solutions, leverages existing banking systems to offer businesses seamless and secure transaction processes
• Most Innovative Business Model: Hyo-Tech, Tunisia: Focusing on the generation, conversion, and storage of renewable energies, Hyo-Tech produces expandable energy storage systems centered on the creation and storage of green hydrogen and oxygen
• Most Promising Entrepreneur: Deaf Square: This international career advancement program is dedicated to empowering the deaf community by providing customized learning opportunities with sign language-interpreted courses and certifications
• Most Attractive Investor: Hamed Masri from Silicon Badia: Founded in 2012, the company has invested in over 100 technology startups worldwide, accumulating a total value of more than $30 billion. Their investments encompass 15 distinct technology sectors

AfricArena’s methodology involved conducting a series of events with selected impressive startups rounds across Africa, and prior to Tunis, they conducted a boot-camp in Kenya where 2 decentralized infrastructure startups, Mavuno from Tanzania, and NoorNation from Egypt, were among 32 selected startups.

The overall winner of the 2023 AfricArena tour will be announced at the South African event and will receive a $25,000 cash reward.

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