African start-ups to engage funders at climate tech week
Six South Korean and over 20 African start-ups working in climate tech and green economy will pitch their solutions to potential investors at the upcoming AfricArena Nairobi Summit: Africa Climate Tech Week
The Africa Climate Tech Week, sponsored by AWS Start-up, Silicon Overdrive, and GIZ SAIS, will take place from September 1 to 4, and the AfricArena Nairobi Summit will be held from September 3 to 4, at Shamba Events in Nairobi, Kenya.
According to AfricArena, the event will be held in Kenya because it is one of Africa's big four tech hubs and leads East Africa as a key tech ecosystem driver, playing a critical role in driving the region's exponential growth.
In 2023, Kenya secured over 94% of all funding raised in East Africa and emerged as Africa's leader in raising startup capital, says the company.
Christophe Viarnaud, AfricArena CEO and founder comments: “This is an incredible achievement, as last year, Kenyan start-ups attracted just under $800 million in funds, made possible by the country’s strategic reforms and conducive business environment.
“We’re excited to see what is happening in Kenya, as so far, during the first half of 2024, Kenya continues to lead Africa in raising startup capital, with Kenyan start-ups having raised over $200 million, which accounts for 32% of all start-up funding on the African continent to date.”
AfricArena says the opportunity for these green-tech start-ups to engage with potential investors comes at a convenient time as the Nairobi Summit will focus on climate tech, renewable energy, and the green economy.
Some of the African start-ups that will pitch at the Summit are Aquarech, Gene Plus Global, RHEA Soil Health, iShamba Limited, eAgro, Stable Foods, Maua Mazuri, Loowatt, Monsapo, Cinch, Africa Collect Textiles, Gjenge Limited, Knights & Apps, Bottle Logistics, Alternative Energy, Lean Energy Solutions, Ekotech Limited.
Also, six start-ups that are scaling from Korea into Africa, in partnership with the Korea-Africa Foundation, Beyond Captur, Thanks Carbon, EcoLinks, BlueGold, Solarinno, and TRCK Energy, will pitch their solutions to investors attending the summit.
“We believe in the power of collaboration to ensure optimum success in building and strengthening Africa’s tech, innovation and investment ecosystem,” says Viarnaud.
Tonee Ndungu, CEO of Kytabu, will moderate the event, featuring over 30 speakers who will provide insights and takeaways pertinent to Africa's tech, innovation, and investment ecosystem.
The event will also have six breakaway sessions, including Fintech Sparks Green Finance: Bridging Policy and Investment panel, Green Tech Funding: Bridging Innovation and Impact panel, and Next-Gen Renewable Energy: The Impact of AI and Carbon Credits on Sustainability panel.
Keynote speakers include Joshua Romisher, CEO and head of portfolio at Holocene, an impact capital firm, and Joshua Murima, head of engagement and investor relations at Briter Bridges, a data-driven research firm.