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8 African Startups Make TechCrunch Startup Battlefield

September 12, 2024

8 African Startups Make TechCrunch Startup Battlefield

TechCrunch has announced the Startup Battlefield 200 for 2024, featuring startups from around the world, including 8 early-stage startups from Africa.

Startup Battlefield 200 is a startup competition designed to spotlight top early-stage ventures from across the globe.

The competition provides startups a platform to pitch their innovative ideas, offering them invaluable exposure, access to investor networks, and a shot at a $100,000 equity-free prize.

What is Startup Battlefield?

TechCrunch Startup Battlefield is the world’s preeminent startup competition held at TechCrunch Disrupt.

For over 15 years, TechCrunch has featured the top startup talent from around the world, across any industry in tech.

Historically, TechCrunch has picked 20 early stage startups to showcase. As the tech startup ecosystem blossomed, the Startup Battlefield cohort has grown to feature 200 promising companies.

The Startup Battlefield 200 companies pitch on the Pitch Showcase Stage, receive a featured spot on the show floor at TC Disrupt, pitch training, masterclasses, private receptions, communities and investor meet and greets.

The final 20 startups pitch on the Disrupt Stage for six minutes with a live Q&A in front of tier-1 VCs. The winner will get $100,000 in equity free prize money and the famous Disrupt Cup.

Companies that launched on our stage include PartPic, N26, Vurb, Trello, Mint, Dropbox, Yammer, Tripit, Redbeacon, Qwiki, Getaround, Render, Vise AI, Forethought AI.

2024 edition of Startup Battlefield

The 2024 edition of Startup Battlefield opened applications earlier this year and closed on June 10. It was open to global startups that had developed a minimum viable product (MVP) and were in the early stages of funding — typically at the pre-seed or seed level.

The competition is widely seen as a game-changer for participating companies, with previous winners including startups like AI-based health platform, BioticsAI (2023) and Minerva Lithium (2022), which claims it can extract one metric ton of lithium using just 30,000 gallons of water in just three days.

Per TechCrunch, Startup Battlefield Alumni represent more than 1,300 companies with approximately 200 exits and over $29 billion raised in funding.

For African startups, this competition is particularly significant as it offers a rare chance to showcase their products and innovations on a global stage. In 2023, Nigerian-led, US-based fintech startup, Mainstack, made it to the top 20 stage of the Startup Battlefield competition.

8 African Startups Make TechCrunch Startup Battlefield

This year, eight African startups — seven from Nigeria and one from Morocco — were selected to be part of the 200 finalists who will compete in San Francisco for three days, from October 28 to 30.

1. Convexity Technologies (Nigeria)

Convexity, a turnkey Blockchain and IT solutions startup offers blockchain-based solutions, notably the Convexity Humanitarian Aid Transfer Solution (CHATS), which enhances transparency in humanitarian aid distribution. CHATS gives aid recipients access to a verified wallet account, offering multiple channels to receive aid securely, even without a smartphone or internet.

2. Eight Medical (Nigeria)

Eight Medical is a platform that identifies and connects emergency medical resources (e.g., hospitals, ambulances, personnel, information & credit) with people in urgent need, helping to bridge the gap in access to essential care across Africa. In the company’s own words, they are building “Uber + 911 for people in Africa.”

3. Growwr (Nigeria)

Growwr is a platform that uses AI to develop an automated hiring system that connects vetted African talent with businesses. The company aims to make the hiring process more efficient and accurate.

4. Gwala (Morocco)

Gwala focuses on tax-smart payroll and employee benefits for the African workforce, simplifying operations for businesses across Morocco and the continent. It helps businesses keep up with their employees’ real-time work and improvement, streamlining days off, absences & vacations.

5. Passportmonie (Nigeria)

Passportmonie is an app that facilitates travel payments by allowing users to pay directly in local currencies, eliminating exchange fees and streamlining international transactions. The company, which wants to be the no. 1 app for travel payments in the next five years, is seeking funding to scale and capture the global travel market.

6. Sync! (Nigeria)

Sync! describes itself as an all-in-one collaboration platform designed to enhance teamwork and productivity with features for project management, communication, and file sharing. The company streamlines workflows, keeping remote and in-office work aligned and more efficient.

7. Validproof (Nigeria)

Validproof is tackling the issue of counterfeit medicines, addressing a crisis that costs the global economy $200 billion annually by offering authentication solutions.

8. Wimika RMS Technologies Ltd (Nigeria)

Wimika RMS offers MoneyGuard, an embedded cyber fraud protection service that promises reimbursement within seven days, targeting emerging markets with robust security measures. The company believes its service to be the first and last line of defence against cyber fraud.

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