TechMoran, Africa’s pioneer startups and technology news media, is launching StartupEast Conference & Awards, a new platform aimed at identifying East Africa’s early-stage startups and connecting them with investors, customers and strategic partners.
The initiative opens with a call for nominations and will culminate in the StartupEast Conference & Awards on 3rd of December 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya. Startups based in or operating in East Africa can participate regardless of the nationality of their founders, provided they have raised less than $2 million and are less than 8 years.
Nominations are open through TechMoran.com/Nominations.
The programme targets tech startups that are still early in their development, including startups with a prototype, minimum viable product, early customers or initial traction. Applications will span sectors including artificial intelligence, fintech, health technology, agriculture, climate technology, enterprise software, commerce, logistics, mobility and education.
“We are looking for startups that are still early enough to surprise the market,” said Sam Wakoba, co-founder of TechMoran. “There are founders building real businesses, solving difficult problems and winning their first customers without necessarily having the visibility that comes with a large funding round. From an investor and mentor’s perspective, this is often where some of the most interesting opportunities are found.”
The nomination process will be followed by shortlisting and public voting, with the finalists recognized at the December conference and awards.
StartupEast is positioning itself less as a conventional awards programme and more as a discovery mechanism for startups that could become significant businesses.
“We are deliberately looking beyond the pitch deck,” Wakoba said. “We want to understand the founder, the problem they are solving, the strength of the product, early traction, the size of the opportunity and whether the business has the potential to scale.”
That focus comes as Kenya’s and East Africa’s startup ecosystem continues to attract founders and capital while competition for funding becomes more selective. For early-stage startups, visibility with investors is increasingly tied to the quality of their networks, traction and ability to demonstrate a path to scale.
StartupEast will use the nomination and selection process to build a startup pipeline ahead of the December event, where startups will meet venture capital investors, angel investors, corporates, technology companies and potential customers.
“The awards are the culmination of a much broader discovery process,” Wakoba said. “StartupEast is about bringing those companies into the spotlight early and giving the ecosystem a role in identifying the founders and businesses worth backing.”
Kenya’s technology sector has earned the nickname Silicon Savannah, helped by startups that have transformed mobile payments, financial services, commerce and other industries. StartupEast is betting that another generation of startups is now emerging beneath the established names.
“The Silicon Savannah story is still being written,” Wakoba said. “We have already seen what Kenyan founders can build, but the next generation will emerge from places that may not yet be obvious.”
The December awards will include categories such as Startup of the Year, Most Promising Startup, Founder of the Year and sector awards covering areas including AI, fintech, health technology, agritech, climate technology and enterprise technology.
But for Wakoba, recognition is secondary to the commercial connections that can follow.
“We don’t want this to be about trophies,” he said. “Recognition matters when it creates opportunity. For an early-stage startups, being discovered by the right investor, landing a first enterprise customer, finding a strategic partner or attracting exceptional talent can be far more valuable than an award itself.”
The first step is now open to the ecosystem and startups can be nominated at TechMoran.com/Nominations. StartupEast Conference & Awards 2026 will take place on Dec. 3 in Nairobi.