Morocco’s Gomobile has been named the winner of Africa StartUp Cup Challenge, organized by global entrepreneurship development agency StartUp Cup.
Gomobile applies full adaptation by using mobile phone and voice to bring the benefits of internet, through IVR-like systems, as well as create platforms and digitalization paths. Their mission is to reduce and eliminate the digital divide, and help the unconnected population to reach full digitalization, or connect the unconnected.
The second place was taken by Uganda’s Airsave and Ghana’s KawaMoka came in third place. Airsave is a financial technology startup that provides a secure digital mobile saving platform to the 90% unbanked communities across Uganda in partnership with banks and telecoms, using a mobile phone with no access to the internet.
Airsave aims to empower men, women and youth on how to save, using a mobile phone as a digital saving wallet towards their saving and investment goals, and also bridge the trust between the unbanked people to their local banks and communities using a mobile phone.
Ghana’s KawaMoka is a retailer of premium coffee and tea from across Africa. The company, which has positioned coffee stands in most part of Ghana’s capital, Accra, provides quality and personalized products made from Ghana’s own cocoa and coffee.
The three winning teams competed for in-kind donations, totaling to $229,000 of IBM, Amazon, Microsoft, and Rackspace services, amongst other sponsorships.
“From what we have seen over the last five years of operating StartUp Cups in Africa, the entrepreneurs of Africa are having a significant impact on the African economy and inspiring a whole new generation of aspiring African entrepreneurs to following their dreams. You are the new heroes of Africa!” said Sean Griffin, CEO and Founder of StartUp Cup.
The Africa StartUp Cup was supported by the US Department of State, Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative, IBM Global Entrepreneur Program, Amazon Web Services, USAID among others.
Emmanuel Nyame, Regional Organizer for Africa StartUp Cup, reiterated that, “Our winners represent the solution providers of tomorrow. Their unique businesses are poised to trigger new set of innovations on the African market.”
