Created with the belief that Africa, with its large population, has potential to take an impactful role in the development of software and IT worldwide, Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) is an entrepreneur training programme, leveraging technology to enhance the growth of African startups.
Founded in 2008 by Jorn Lyseggen, MEST provides training, funding and support to startups in areas such as software development, business and communications, through its annual programme, and is funded by the Meltwater Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Meltwaters, a media intelligence company.
Headquartered in Accra, Ghana, the 12th edition of MEST Africa incubator programme was just concluded, following the participation of 15 startups. In its final pitching event, the seven startups that scaled through will receive an investment of $100,000 each. These startups include; food delivery startup; Heny, retail-tech platform; Shopa, e-wallet service; Joovlin, cloud-based monitoring and evaluation platform; KPI Lens, among others, all selected across Nigeria, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Ghana.
Founded by Gbenga Fola-Alade in 2019, Heny is an innovative digital platform leveraging technology to provide digital solutions to enhanced food delivery and location access.
Headquartered in Accra, Ghana, Boxconn is a logistics platform that enhances growth and scalability of businesses and individuals despite their financial capabilities, ensuring adequate product delivery.
A wholesale eCommerce platform, Tendo leverages technology to connect retail sellers to businesses, supplying products at varying prices to resellers via online orders.
An enterprise software solutions platform, KPILens monitors and evaluates the reporting processes of businesses and stakeholders.
A digital data collection platform, Eleka tech enhances information gathering, making the process easier and faster.
A platform that supports merchants and fintech, Joovlin enhances buying and selling, aiding in revenue growth.
A social commerce platform, Shopa enables users to discover, share and buy what people are talking about, all at the same place.
Last year, MEST also invested $100, 000 seed rounds in each of 11 startups, formed by the graduates that participated in the programme, including; Massira, BezoMoney, Adi+Bolga, Farmula, and Nadia among others, all selected across Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya. In this year’s edition, the seven selected startups would join over 40 startups across Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa in the incubator’s portfolio.
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