Halcyon & AWS Invest into 10 African Startups Addressing Food Insecurity

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Halcyon, the impact-driven accelerator, in partnership with Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) is set to invest in 10 visionary African startups developing impactful solutions to the region’s most pressing challenges in food insecurity.

Through its Climate Resilience and Food Security in Africa Fellowship program, the one-week in-person residency in Nairobi, Kenya will see participants engage in several months of virtual programming and culminate into a second residency, which will involve another immersive, in-person experience for this cohort.

“We deeply value AWS’ support in working with us to strategically strengthen organizational capacity and scale impactful AgTech businesses across Africa,” said Mercy Erhiawarien, Senior Manager of Intensives at Halcyon. “Halcyon has been supporting founders on the continent for nearly a decade. Africa faces pressing issues such as food insecurity, climate change, and health disparities. These challenges require resilient and innovative solutions, which is where local founders play a crucial role.”

With funding from AWS, Halcyon’s 2025 program will identify and scale tech solutions targeting climate resilience and food security across Africa, including but not limited to climate-smart agriculture and food systems, water technology, blue economy (the sustainable use of ocean resources), renewable energy, green building, and climate data.

The founders will receive training on investment readiness, product-market fit, and leadership, as well as access to technical support and credits from AWS. They will also be connected to a network of climate-focused early-stage investors and mentors for further support.

L-R Ann Elise Francis, Mercy Erhiawarien – Senior Manager Halcyon – Kim Johson Roberts – Executive Vice President , Halcyon.

By focusing on AgTech ventures, Halcyon and AWS are enabling a new wave of African startups committed to improving nutrition, increasing agricultural yields, creating innovative agricultural finance solutions, deploying smart climate adaptation strategies, and expanding the trade and delivery of food to vulnerable populations.

“Through AWS’s cloud technology, Halcyon is empowering entrepreneurs to turn their bold ideas into impactful solutions that will drive lasting change across Africa,” said Carolyn Vigil, Social Responsibility Impact Leader at AWS. “I’m especially excited about this collaboration because it focuses on Africa’s unique challenges and opportunities. Together, we’re nurturing the next generation of innovators who are tackling the intersection of agriculture, health, and resilience, paving the way for a more sustainable future for vulnerable communities across the continent.”  

Halcyon aims to expand its successful programs, identifying even more talented founders throughout the continent who are committed to driving sustainable change. These startups will benefit from Halcyon’s robust support infrastructure, including mentorship, access to AWS’s world-class cloud services, and connections to a global network of investors, industry leaders, and policymakers.

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Sam Wakoba
Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Sam Wakoba is a pan-African technology journalist, author, entrepreneur, technology business mentor, judge, educationalist, and a sought-after speaker and panelist across Africa’s innovation ecosystem. He is the convenor of the popular monthly #TechNight evening event and the #StartupEast Awards and Conference, platforms that bring together startup founders, developers, entrepreneurs, investors, content creators, and tech professionals from across the continent. For more than 16 years, Sam has reported on and analysed Africa’s technology landscape, covering some of the continent’s most impactful, and at times controversial policies, programs, investors, co-founders, startups, and corporations. His work is known for its independence, depth, and fairness, with a singular goal of helping build and strengthen Africa’s nascent technology ecosystem. Beyond journalism, Sam is a business analyst and consultant, working with brands, universities, corporates, SMEs, and startups across East Africa, as well as international companies entering the East African market or scaling across Africa. In his free time, he volunteers as a consulting editor and fintech analyst at Business Tech Kenya, a business, technology, and data firm that publishes reports, reviews, and insights on business and technology trends in Kenya. Follow him on X: @SamWakoba