The Supernova Challenge at GITEX Nigeria 2025 ended on a high note as African startups battled for a share of a $22,000 equity-free prize pool, with Curacel emerging as the overall winner.
The healthtech company clinched the $10,000 grand prize and a sponsored trip to Barcelona for the upcoming Tech Catalyst Week, cementing its place as one of the continent’s most promising innovators.
With ideas spanning from AI to sustainable agriculture and digital finance, this year’s competition reaffirmed the message that Africa’s innovation pipeline is strong, ambitious, and ready for the world stage.
The competition also rewarded category winners with $2,000 each. Build Africa won in the AI category, while InCash led in digital finance category. Hadiya won in the creative economy and martech space, Acecore drove forward agritech innovation, and Kara stood out in mobility.
Meanwhile, HiPrep earned the Disruptor Award, recognised for its bold approach to rethinking traditional models and setting new benchmarks for entrepreneurial ingenuity.
The organisers while congratulating the winners noted in a statement on Instagram that, “These trailblazers represent the unstoppable drive of African innovation, tackling real challenges and building solutions with impact that extends far beyond the continent.”
This year’s event highlighted how vibrant and ambitious Africa’s startup ecosystem has become. Driving this momentum is a rebound in venture activity between January and May 2025, African startups raised over $1 billion, a40% increase compared to the same period last year.
Moreover, a recent Financial Times report shows that Nigeria and South Africa are home to the continent’s fastest-growing companies, especially in fintech and IT, underscoring the continued strength of the innovation landscape.
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