Post-COVID, Africa has witnessed unprecedented growth in its startup economy and startup investments. African youths are leveraging technology to create innovative and sustainable solutions across multiple sectors, thus attracting huge capital investment into the continent.

Last year was a record year for startup funding on the continent. According to data from Partech, African tech start-ups raised a total of $6.5B (+8% YoY) in 764 deals (+6% YoY) thanks to solid debt funding growth (+102% YoY, 24% of total funding) and resilient equity funding (almost flat at -6% YoY). “Despite the global VC slowdown, this ecosystem is still growing,” it notes. 

As the African startup ecosystem is rapidly becoming a key source of foreign direct investment on the continent, more of these tech companies are gaining recognition on the global stage. On Thursday, June 15th, three African startups in climate tech, health tech and fintech sub-sectors were awarded the Africa Tech Awards 2023 at the Viva Technology conference, Europe’s largest tech conference. The startups; Kubik, Waspito, and Curacel, were selected from over 300 entries. 

Kubik

Kubik is a Kenya-based climate tech startup that uses hard-to-recycle plastic waste to make low-carbon, durable, and affordable buildings. Kubik was co-founded in 2021 by Kidus Asfaw and Penda Marre. Through this innovation, the startup is helping Africa to mitigate the impact of climate change.

Waspito 

Waspito is a Cameroon-based healthcare platform that connects people to healthcare providers through instant video consultations from their smartphones. The startup offers services like online consultation, medicine delivery, specialist doctors, and others. The goal is to drive affordable and accessible quality healthcare across the continent. Waspito was founded by Jean Lobe Lobe in 2020.

Curacel

Curacel is a Nigerian-based AI-powered platform for claims processing and fraud management. The fintech startup was co-founded in 2019 by Henry Mascot and John Dada to automate the insurance claims process, allowing staff to process claims volumes quickly and efficiently. It also automatically vets claims to detect fraud, waste and abuse.

About Viva Technology

Viva Technology (VivaTech) is an annual technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups, held in Paris, France. VivaTech was founded in 2016 by Publicis Groupe and Groupe Les Echos. From Africa to Asia, startups, VCs, and corporate partners converge at VivaTech to enable local heroes to become global champions.