Latitude59 Kenya’s pitch competition has announced that its has received over 382 applications from 37 countries. Startups were invited to apply for the pitch competition back in September ahead of the Latitude59 Kenyan Edition Conference later this month. The top 10 startups have been selected and invited to the Latitude59 2025 in Tallinn, Estonia, where they’ll have the chance to win a prize pool of one million euros.
The competition’s top ten startups will have the opportunity to pitch live on the main stage at Latitude59 in Nairobi on 28 November. They will also receive personalised pitch training from Latitude59 Pitch Coach Gleb Maltsev.
The number of applications for Latitude59’s Pitch Competition in Kenya has nearly doubled, with a strong representation from African nations like Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa. Additionally, an impressive array of applicants came from other regions, including from countries like the UAE, India, and Azerbaijan, highlighting the competition’s growing international appeal.
The 10 startups include:
🇳🇬AcemyX: AcemyX is an LMS helping students prepare for exams with personalized learning tools and study materials.
🇹🇿Afya Mama: Afya Mama is providing answers to questions pertaining maternal care and reproductive health to women via SMS and web app.
🇰🇪 Eco Nasi: Eco Nasi Limited transforms pineapple pulp waste into high-quality vegan leather that is 5 times more durable than hide leather.
🇰🇪 Grekkon Limited: Grekkon is scaling up moisture sensors for smallholder farmers to remove water wastage or insufficient water in irrigation.
🇰🇪 NoMa: NoMa is a tech platform that digitizes school transportation.
🇺🇸 Paycloud Africa: Paycloud is building a Neobank to help MSMEs in Africa to pay, get paid, and access credit through payment aggregation.
🇰🇪 Roadrims: Roadrims provides reliable, efficient, and cost-effective logistics that meets diverse supply chain needs.
🇰🇪 Twiva: Twiva is a Social Commerce platform that helps brands gain access to markets by marketing & selling through influencers.
🇰🇪 VunaPay: VunaPay provides instant payments to farmers as they deliver their produce, saving them from delayed payments.
🇰🇪 Zerobionic: Zerobionic is developing a human-like robotic arm to help students with hearing impairments in Kenyan high schools.
Founding Member of Nairobi Business Angels Network Nick Vilelle noted that it’s great to see such a strong batch of founders taking part in Latitude59’s event. “We see more and more founders building for East Africa, but with plans for global expansion, and I think that is an exciting sign of things to come,” he said.
According to Dolores Daniel, the project manager for the Latitude59 Kenya Edition, the final decision will be challenging, as African startups are truly impactful, with ideas capable of making a real difference globally. “Latitude59 Kenya Edition has showcased a surprising shift in startup focus. While fintech once dominated the landscape, this year’s pitch competition applications reveal an inspiring wave of innovation in agriculture and sustainability. It’s clear that founders are increasingly prioritising impact-driven solutions to tackle food security, climate resilience, and sustainable resource management—reshaping Kenya’s entrepreneurial narrative.”
Triin Ilves, Head of Startup Relations at Latitude59, commented on the record-breaking participation: “Compared to last year, the number of applications has nearly doubled. As Latitude59 gains a stronger reputation, we’re also challenging ourselves to provide more value to startups who join our Pitch Competition—from in-person and online training to collaboration with relevant partners to help entrepreneurs grow regionally and globally.”
One African startup will receive a fast-track invitation to Latitude59 2025 in Tallinn, Estonia, where it will participate in the pre-finals. For two years in a row, the prize pool for the Latitude59 Pitch Competition in Estonia has been one million euros. Also, Latitude59 will cover the cost of the roundtrip to Estonia.
Also Read: Latitude59 Drives Chumz.io’s Ambitious Growth Plans Across Africa
