Three Kenyan firms among twelve startups selected for 2023 VC4A Venture Showcase Africa

VC4A has unveiled the 12 startups selected to participate in the 2023 Venture Showcase Africa. The annual flagship program brings together the best and brightest startups from across the continent, giving them the opportunity to pitch their ideas to investors and industry experts.

This year’s edition represents a diverse range of industries and sectors in the Seed, Pre-Series A and Series A tracks, chosen from close on to 1,000 entries that were submitted. Selected companies will receive mentorship, technical assistance and investor readiness training. All of which builds towards the VC4A Deal Room where these companies will be showcased to an audience of investors and industry leaders.

Among the selected startups for the program are three firms from Kenya. They include – Duhqa, MPost, and SimpliFI.

Below are the 12 startups selected for the 2023 VC4A Venture Showcase Africa:

Seed Track

Duhqa – (Kenya). A digital supply chain platform that uses AI and automation to help SMEs and manufacturers grow their businesses.

Emata Uganda – (Uganda). A digital lending platform on a mission to provide loans to millions of farmers in East Africa.

Cross-section of the Emata team

Maad – (Senegal). An e-commerce marketplace to directly connect manufacturers and retailers in Francophone Africa.

MPost – (Kenya). A digital platform that turns mobile phone numbers into formal postal addresses.

Vendy Limited – (Nigeria). Helps businesses accept payments from customers without internet access.

Series A Track

FreshSource – (Egypt). A B2B agri-supply chain platform that uses data and technology to connect producers to businesses, guarantee fair prices, and minimize food loss.

Pharmacy Marts – (Egypt). A B2B marketplace for pharmacies that provides a one-stop shop for products, financing, and logistics.

OmniBiz – (Nigeria). A B2B e-commerce platform, offering supplier and retail software to connect the informal retail ecosystem across Africa.

Rology – (Egypt). An AI-assisted tele-radiology platform that delivers accurate radiology reports on time.

SympliFi – (Kenya). A blockchain-powered credit-as-a-service platform that provides affordable credit to MSMEs in Africa.

Treepz – (Nigeria). A car-sharing platform for Africa that aims to reduce CO2 emissions. Treepz has also added new members to its board of directors to drive the firm’s efforts towards growth and expansion.

Winich Farms – (Nigeria). An application that connects food producers to informal food processors and retailers in Africa.

“We are thrilled to unveil these exceptional startups for our upcoming VC4A Venture Showcase Africa 2023 program. Each is a beacon of innovation and entrepreneurship. These visionary teams have demonstrated remarkable potential and we eagerly anticipate the transformative journey ahead as we accelerate their growth and shape the future together,” said an excited Abu Cassim, the Lead of the Acceleration Team at VC4A.

VC4A is at the forefront of supporting the continent’s most promising startups. Driven by the belief that Africa is home to some of the most innovative and creative entrepreneurs in the world, and is committed to helping them achieve success. VC4A looks forward to seeing the impact these ventures will have on their respective industries, and on the African continent as a whole.

The selection of the 12 high-growth high-impact ventures was made in collaboration with VC4A’s investors network which represents Business Angel groups, VCs, Family Offices and Corporate funds in Africa and beyond.

The 2023 VC4A Venture Showcase Africa is sponsored by, the African European Digital Innovation Bridge Network AEDIB|NET and Work in Progress! Alliance, as part of their commitment to strengthen Africa’s startup ecosystem.

Other VC4A Investor Network partners involved in the selection committee are: 216 Capital Ventures, Founders Factory Africa, Ripple VC,  Acumen Property Group, Advance Consulting, Angaza Capital, ANZA Strategy, Asime Ventures, Blue Haven Initiative,  Beyond Capital Ventures, CAPAS, Crossfin Technology Holdings, Edge Growth, Everyone Ventures, Expert DOJO, FINCA Ventures, FrontEnd Ventures, HiiL, Jaza Rift Ventures, Kalon Venture Partners, LeapFrog Investments, Modus Capital, Nigeria Climate Innovation Center, One Day Yes, Pin Invest, NGWANA AFRICA, Shell Foundation, SOSV, SSC Capital, ViKtoria Ventures, and Villgro Africa among others.

VC4A aims to connect entrepreneurs with the knowledge, support programs, mentors and investors they need to thrive and grow their business. Almost 1,000 entrepreneurs answered the call for applications and together with investors, VC4A reviewed almost 500 candidates. The selected startups were primarily selected based on: Innovation and scalability, Growth strategy, Management team, Market traction and financials. The selection team also looked out for startups with a technology focus in the Digital Trade, Clean Tech, Smart Cities and Climate Smart Agriculture sectors.

The VC4A Venture Showcase has run since 2017. In the past years, 115 companies have been selected from across the continent as part of 8 Africa-based Showcase programs, resulting in a number of investment deals totaling $700 million. Today, VC4A is also present in Latin America and preparing for the second edition of the VC4A Venture Showcase Latam.