The 2014 edition of PIVOt East was held at the Panari hotel in Nairobi. The competition had startups from the wide East Africa region including Ethiopia. in total 25 start-ups were chosen to pitch and be in the running for the Kshs. 4.4million cash prize. There were 5 categories with 5 start-ups in each category.
The winners of the competition will get funding amounting to 10,000 dollars per startup from m:lab East Africa. The funding will be split into two halves, the first being a $5,000 grant. The other $5,000 will be an investment which may be topped up by other investors depending on the startups funding requirements and their ability to convince other investors.
Here are the winners of PIVOT East 2014
Mobile Society Category
SokoText (Kenya): SokoText uses SMS based pre-ordering service to make it easier for small mama mbogas (fruit and vegetable sellers) in slums to get their daily stock. SokoText is based in Mathare slum in Nairobi.
1st Runners Up: TotoHealth (Kenya). TotoHealth enables hospitals and organizations to communicate and provide targeted information on antenatal & postnatal care using low-cost phones.
Mobile Entertainment category
UbongoKids (Tanzania): Ubongo Kids is a multiplatform, interactive edu-cartoon with SMS interaction broadcasting on TV to kids in Tanzania and online for kids around the world. They are looking to expand across Africa and already have a deal with Startimes to kick this off.
1st Runners up went to Safari Tales (Kenya): Safari Tales is an edutainment android mobile application for children to access Digital African Narratives & learn African Languages. They currently have four complete stories available on the app.
Mobile Enterprise Category
A SiM Mobile (Kenya): ASim Mobile is a supply chain mobile solution integrated seamlessly with most popular accounting, ERP apps in the world.
1st runners up: Online Hisab(Ethiopia) a cloud-based accounting package for Ethiopian SMEs, who are looking for an affordable and easy to use accounting solution.
Mobile Finance Category
ChamaSoft (Kenya): A group management platform which manages administration of chamas, allowing them to concentrate on investment rather than administration.
1st runners up was Beyonic (Uganda): Beyonic seeks to eliminate cash by creating the best solutions that enable business to make payments using mobile money.
Mobile Utilities Category
Sendy (Kenya): A platform for on-demand errands. With the tap of a button, they instantly connect senders and riders and enable payments via mobile phones
1st runners up were MaraMoja (Kenya) -Maramoja is Kenyan social enterprise dedicated to providing easy access to safe, reliable transport services through your mobile device.
The founders award went to Online Hisab a cloud-based accounting package for Ethiopian SMEs, who are looking for an affordable and easy to use accounting solution.
Congratulations to all the start-ups!