Disrupt Africa Data // 39.6% of Venture Capital Firms Investing in Africa have Female Partners or Founders
June 26, 2023
Coworking Beyond Borders // How Coworking Spaces Enhance the Digital Nomad Lifestyle
June 30, 2023
PowWater Co-founder Named Among 50 Finalists in Africa’s Business Heroes Prize Competition 2023
Maria Mumoki, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of PowWater, a mobile technology platform democratizing access to water has been named among 50 entrepreneurs in the Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) Prize Competition for its 2023 edition.
The Africa Business Heroes (ABH) Prize Competition is a philanthropic initiative sponsored by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Philanthropy to recognize and uplift African entrepreneurs.
Other Kenyans who made it to the list include Alex Musyoka, Viebeg Medical and Dental Supplies Ltd, Alexander Odhiambo Solutech Limited, Eric Onchonga Irri-Hub Ke, Francis Nderitu, Keep IT Cool (Raino Tech4 Impact), Musa Wesutsa, Sentinel Africa Consulting Ltd, Taita Ngetich,Synnefa , Thomas Njeru, Pula Advisors Limited and Pauline Otila, of Apiculture Venture Limited,
Here is the full list of the finalists.
With a remarkable 27,267 applications, ABH this year has seen the highest number of submissions since its inception in 2019, reflecting the growing entrepreneurial spirit in Africa.
ABH continues to garner a remarkable level of reach and engagement across Africa, with applicants hailing from all 54 African countries this year.
West Africa emerged as the frontrunner, representing 43% of the total applications received. Francophone countries accounted for 27% of all applications, the highest in ABH’s history.
Following an intense round of assessment by 256 judges from more than 40 countries, the top 50 finalists have been selected from 20 countries across 13 different industries, led by agriculture, education and training, and healthcare.
The finalists are aged 36 on average, with 38% of them being female and 62% male. Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt and South Africa account for the top 50 candidates and, for the first time, applicants from Sierra Leone are represented in the top 50, which to date cover 33 out of 54 African countries.
A panel of over 50 round-two judges will now embark on interviewing these candidates to select the top 20.
“We would like to express our sincere appreciation to all the entrepreneurs and judges who participated in this edition of Africa’s Business Heroes Prize Competition. We are honored to see the overwhelming response, which is a testament to the rising potential of Africa’s entrepreneur ecosystem,” said Jason Pau, Executive Director of International Programs, at Jack Ma Foundation.
“The top 50 finalists represent the incredible potential and talent that exists in Africa, and we believe there are more surprises underway for this edition. As our judging process moves forward and our fifth-anniversary event series unfolds, we invite all our supporters to stay connected and follow ABH closely.”
This year, all the top 50 finalists will be invited to join the Alibaba Netpreneur Masterclass Global Edition 2023 to be conducted online by Alibaba Global Initiatives (AGI) from late July to late August, to acquire insights into how to harness digital technology to drive their business growth.
The top 20 finalists of ABH 2023 will be announced in July and the top 10 finalists in September. The return of a large-scale Grand Finale and Summit, during which the top 10 candidates will pitch live to global business legends to secure their share of the final award, is slated to take place in Kigali, Rwanda on November 23-24, 2023.
Forbes 30 under 30
In February 2023, Jack Hartpence and Ellie O’Neill, founders of Powwater were named in the 30 under 30 Forbes list in social impact.
Jack Hartpence and Ellie O’Neill co-founded Powwater to help address the water access problem in Africa via a technology-enabled vehicular delivery system.
The way the company operates is through an app where users can choose their location, get matched to a Powwater truck near them, choose their volume of water, and expect it on the same day.
he company, which has raised over $3 million from investors like The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Adam Draper, is currently scaling across Kenya and will be expanding across East Africa and Ghana in 2023.
The Social Impact Forbes List focuses on companies that are leveraging business smarts to save the world.
From us at Nairobi Garage, it’s a huge congratulations to Maria and the whole team at #Powwater who are our members at Nairobi Garage // Karen.
