MEST Africa has revealed twenty fintech startups that have advanced to the semi-final stage of the MEST Africa Challenge (MAC) 2025. These selected startups will present their innovative solutions designed to address financial constraints across the African continent.
The 7th edition of the MEST Africa Challenge, themed "You Build, We Scale," is a collaborative effort with Absa, aiming to empower fintech founders to translate innovative ideas into tangible actions. The initiative focuses on identifying and supporting Africa's most promising ventures in fintech and other high-value sectors.
Entries for the MEST Africa Challenge were received from Absa's eight key markets: Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Uganda, and Zambia. Absa Group Limited, a prominent pan-African bank headquartered in South Africa, operates in 10 African countries and was formerly part of Barclays Africa.
Ashwin Ravichandran, Portfolio Advisor at MEST Africa, commented on the selection, stating that each of the twenty founders represents a distinct approach to revolutionizing financial services for Africans. He emphasized that these startups are not only tackling significant challenges but are also laying the groundwork for inclusive growth and sustainable impact.
"Their ideas pair technology with empathy, proving that lasting change comes from solving real problems within their own communities," Ravichandran added. "We’re proud to provide a platform that connects them with investors, mentors, and global opportunities."
MEST Africa highlighted that the chosen ventures are addressing critical needs in African financial innovation, with solutions covering next-generation payments, smart credit systems, cross-border trade facilitation, agri-fintech, and digital financial literacy.
The selection process involved an initial online application stage, which included a three-minute video pitch from each participating startup.
The twenty semi-finalists are scheduled to pitch virtually during the week of October 27, 2025. Subsequently, the top ten startups will advance to the final demo day, which will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, on November 26, 2025.
The ultimate winner of the MEST Africa Challenge will receive a $50,000 equity investment, gain access to MEST Africa's extensive network of mentors, partners, and investors, and have the opportunity to explore pilot programs with Absa's business units.
Since its inception in 2008, the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) Africa has been instrumental in training and supporting over 2,000 entrepreneurs and investing in more than 90 startups. The MEST Africa Challenge (MAC) stands as its premier pan-African pitch competition, dedicated to identifying, nurturing, and scaling high-potential technology ventures across the continent.
Meet the Semi-Finalists
The twenty semi-finalists represent seven African countries: Kenya (3), Zambia (5), Botswana (1), Ghana (2), Mauritius (1), Mozambique (1), Uganda (6), and Seychelles (1).
Kenya
- Logistify AI – Utilizes AI-powered software to enhance efficiency and automate processes within the supply chain and logistics industry.
- Farmsky Ventures – A digital lending and crop insurance platform that provides a last-mile solution for banks and MFIs to facilitate lending to farmers and agribusinesses.
- Investa Farm – An Agri-FinTech platform offering voucher-backed loans for climate-resilient farm inputs, enabling farmers to access essential financial services more easily.
Zambia
- Ebusaka Green Technology Limited – A FinTech-powered waste-to-value platform that digitizes payments and recycling incentives, connecting users, waste collectors, and recycling facilities through a mobile and cloud-based system.
- KreativBox Technology – A digital lending company providing salary-backed loans to civil servants.
- Mighty Finance Solution Inc – Offers embedded digital loans to SMEs and women entrepreneurs, simplifying the borrowing process.
- Devdraft Ai – A cross-border payments platform designed for freelancers and businesses, utilizing stablecoin wallets.
- Homer Price Agency Solutions Limited – A digital banking provider operating over 550 agents nationwide and deploying its agent banking solutions across the country.
Botswana
- mystock.africa – A retail investing platform providing Africans with access to stocks, ETFs, and alternative assets.
Ghana
- Brydge – A supply chain platform designed to simplify cross-border trade for African businesses, focusing on facilitating intra-African trade through its B2B payment and trading platform.
- Kutana Technologies Limited – A fintech company specializing in facilitating cross-border business-to-business (B2B) trade for African SMEs.
Mauritius
- Black Swan – Employs AI and alternative data to construct credit scores for the unbanked population in Africa.
Mozambique
- Simulador Bancário – A digital platform that simplifies financial planning and loan simulations.
Uganda
- Paytota – A unified payment gateway aimed at simplifying Africa's fragmented digital payments ecosystem.
- Xzerra – A biometric payment system enabling cashless, fingerprint-based transactions, particularly for use in schools.
- Kanzu Finance Limited – A digital banking solution tailored for Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations, Village Savings and Loan Associations, and microfinance institutions.
- Axiom Zorn – A data innovation company focused on improving access to finance and markets for smallholder farmers.
- Credify Africa, Inc – A fintech company that streamlines cross-border trade by offering customized financing, payment, and logistics solutions to enhance import efficiency and mitigate risk.
- eMaisha Pay – A digital payments platform for agro-traders and small businesses, designed to promote financial inclusion.
Seychelles
- Fusepay – A licensed Payment Service Provider establishing a digital finance hub for frontier markets.
MEST Africa Challenge 2025: Semi-Final and Final Process
- •The top 20 applicants will participate in a virtual semi-finals pitch competition.
- •A panel of judges will select the top 10 fintech startups to advance.
- •These top 10 startups will compete at the grand finale and Demo Day in Cape Town, South Africa.
- •One overall winner will be announced.
Finalists will present live to an audience comprising prominent investors, corporate leaders, and ecosystem stakeholders. The event offers significant benefits, including the opportunity to win a $50,000 equity investment. The winner will also gain entry into the MEST Africa Portfolio, the chance to pilot commercial solutions with Absa business units, and access to exclusive partner prizes.