Supporting African Agri-tech and Food-tech Start-ups to Improve their Investment Readiness

Bringo Fresh, Cookshop, eMsika, eProd, Lentera Africa, Shopit, Upande and Zowasel: eight vibrant agri- and food-tech start-ups from Africa successfully pitched their businesses at the virtual South African Innovation Summit, the largest start-up event in Africa. Cookshop, a food delivery service from Liberia, as well as eProd, an agricultural supply chain software company from Kenya, were also awarded support from Ayo Technology Solutions Limited and Zoho Corporation for their performance at the summit. Cookshop and eProd, as well as the other six start-ups comprise the first alumni of the Investment Readiness Programme implemented by the GIZ project “Scaling digital agriculture innovations through start-ups” (SAIS). They are now ready to enter the growth stage with momentum. Picking up on the success of the first cohort, GIZ-SAIS recently selected an additional 16 start-ups in Africa to join the second Investment Readiness Programme. The second cohort stands out due to its great diversity of business models and five female (co-)founders. The entrepreneurs offer innovative digital solutions for improving access to agricultural inputs and markets, digital analytics and farm practices, the financial inclusion of unbanked smallholder farmers, crowdfunding for agricultural investments, as well as livestock productivity and animal health. They are fully dedicated to tackling the most pressing issues in African agriculture and the linked food sectors in the time of the crisis and beyond. SAIS is a project implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

SOURCE: DISRUPT AFRICA