EgyptInnovate and The Global Startup Awards Announce Northern African Regional Winners: Egypt is the Top Winning Country in Africa

The Global Startup Awards Africa (GSA Africa), in partnership with EgyptInnovate, proudly announced the regional winners for Edition 11, celebrating the best and brightest in Northern Africa's startup ecosystem.

This year, the competition has witnessed a record-breaking number of entries and public engagement, highlighting the robust and dynamic entrepreneurial landscape across the continent.

Across 14 categories, showcasing the groundbreaking innovations and entrepreneurial talent shaping the region's future. Of the 11,949 entries, Northern Africa accounted for 13%, with a 22% increase since 2023. (Western 26%, Eastern 26%, Central 7%, and Southern Africa 28%).

This year, in Northern Africa the following three countries are represented among the regional winners: Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia, Egypt with eleven winners demonstrating exceptional performance.

Egypt is the top winning country in Africa.

EgyptInnovate serves as the country partner for the Global Startup Awards, supporting the recognition of Egypt's thriving startup ecosystem.

Of the record-breaking entries spanning 54 African countries, over 700 finalists were identified. The startups represented various development phases ideation (3.1%), pre-seed (21.6%), seed (31%), growth (32.3%), and maturity and exit (2%). The top three categories are: Fintech, Greentech and Mobility & Logistics.

A historic public voting turnout saw 215,210 people casting their votes to determine the winners, alongside a panel of expert judges who evaluated the entries, 11 Egyptians of the top 69 regional winners across Africa. The panel of jury members consists of internationally renowned sector-focused industry leaders, ecosystem enablers, and influential individuals from across Africa in the tech innovation space.

These winners will compete at the regional level, with the African finalists to be crowned in October at the GSA Africa Summit. The winners then progress to the global stage to present their groundbreaking innovations in 2025.

“African entrepreneurs are paving the way for the continent's future, and this year's competition has highlighted this brilliantly. The diversity in business ambitions is impressive, and beyond agritech, education, and fintech solutions, sectors like pharmacy, eMobility, and aerospace are starting to play a stronger role. These startups are making significant impacts in their communities, countries, regions, and beyond,” noted Jury member Guido Schwartz, Foundation for Space Development Africa.

"The health sector innovations were truly inspiring. The applicants showcased groundbreaking solutions with the potential to revolutionize healthcare delivery in the region. It was encouraging to witness the convergence of technology and healthcare, paving the way for improved health outcomes and sustainable development," noted Jury member Farai Chirongoma, UNDP.

The Global Startup Awards (GSA) Africa platform continues to establish itself as the premier stage for startups, by the world’s largest independent startup ecosystem competition, GSA Africa recognizes startups, individuals, and ecosystem supporters who have demonstrated exceptional innovation and impact. The awards aim to foster collaboration and promote growth across diverse regions, connecting future shapers and celebrating excellence in entrepreneurship.

Winners of GSA Africa 2024 Include:

• Startup of the Year: Jadeed Climate Tech (Egypt)
• Best Newcomer: Neqabty (Egypt)
• Founder of the Year: Tamsir Ousmane Traore (Morocco)
• Ecosystem Hero of the Year: Dr. Eng. Nabil Shalaby (Egypt)
• Investor of the Year: EdVentures (Egypt)
• Best Coworking Space: Sector B5 (Egypt)
• Accelerator/Incubator Program: Athar Accelerator (Egypt)
• Women In Tech: Sonia Nasfi (Tunisia)
• GreenTech Startup of the Year: NoorNation (Egypt)
• HealthTech Startup of the Year: PharmacyMarts (Egypt)
• Best Mobility & Logistics: Jadeed Climate Tech (Egypt)
• Best AgriTech: AgriCash (Egypt)
• FinTech Startup of the Year: Chari (Morocco)
• Youth Startup of the Year: Ultrateb (Egypt)

Kim Balle, Co-Founder of The Global Startup Awards, shares: “Startups from the African Startup Awards have shown tremendous development, solving problems with solutions applicable beyond Africa. The startup world is transitioning, with decreasing entry barriers to knowledge, capital, and technology mastery. African startups are now technically advanced and built to scale, especially in sectors addressing global issues. I am confident we will see unicorns among the GSA Africa alumni winners soon.”

“Together, we can represent Egypt and Africa on the global platform. Being selected as the Green Tech Startup of the Year showcases our commitment to providing clean energy and safe water solutions to the off-grid sector.” Said Ragy Ramadan, Founder NoorNation.

“With the announcement of the regional awards for North Africa, I felt immense happiness and proudness upon learning that Egyptian entrepreneurs and startups won 11 out of 14 awards, and will compete at the African continental level. I wish them all success and competition on the global level.” Said Dr. Nabil Shalaby, 2024 Ecosystem Hero of the Year.

Dr. Nabil Added “Being named the Ecosystem Hero of the Year 2024 among young Egyptians is a great fuel of inspiration and passion, motivating me to work even harder in the future. I am currently working on an innovative platform to showcase the Egyptian entrepreneurship ecosystem, similar to the global platform I launched, which includes startups from 72 countries and it has no parallel and unique, which is why I described it as Egypt's gift to the world.”

“This award is a testament to our team's dedication to supporting innovative startups and fostering growth in the education technology sector across Northern Africa. We're honored to be part of this incredible community and look forward to continuing our mission of empowering the next generation of edtech innovators in Africa and beyond.” Said Maged Harby General Manager at EdVenture.

“GIIG’s long-term vision is to create sustainable businesses with a positive impact, fostering innovation-driven economies and positioning Africa as a leader in addressing global challenges through innovative solutions,” remarked Jo Griffiths, co-founder of GIIG and GSA Africa.

Jo Griffiths added, “We nurture interconnected communities through trust, expertise, and networks, promoting cross-border collaboration and market access to drive systemic transformation and sustainable development across the continent”.

About the Global Startup Awards (GSA) Africa:

GSA Africa is the largest independent startup ecosystem competition on the continent and the exclusive vehicle for the GIIG Africa Fund to find, fund and scale Africa’s most innovative startups with Sustainable Development Goal-aligned solutions. After two successful seasons (2022 and 2023), the GSA Africa Summit seeks to unearth leading innovators with SDG-aligned solutions that strive to Power and Light Up Africa; Feed Africa; Industrialise Africa; Integrate Africa; and Improve the quality of life for the people of Africa.

• For more information, go to www.globalstartupawardsafrica.com

Key Trends Noted from the 2024 GSA Africa Season (The following data represents the entire African continent):

• From an impressive 11,949 entries – a 44% increase since 2023 – spanning 52 African countries, the startups represented various development phases: ideation (3.4%), pre-seed (28.7%), seed (34%), growth (30.6%), and maturity and exit (3.6%). To date, 27,814 startups have participated in GSA Africa.
• Mobility and Logistics: As rural-urban migration intensifies and the population is projected to double by 2050, the demand for reliable and inclusive mobility and logistics solutions is expected to grow significantly. Unsurprisingly entries in this category have risen from 11% in 2023 to 19% in 2024 and include solutions for mass transport as well as digital logistics coordination platforms.
• Green Tech: Since the inaugural GSA Africa in 2021, solutions aligned with SDG 13 (Climate Action) have tripled. This category saw a 14% representation in entries, with 77% of the Greentech startups planning to join the carbon market within the next 12-24 months. Winning startups include the Global South’s first Direct Air Capture (DAC) company,
• Agriculture: Accounting for 15% of total entries, this category showcased innovations like micro-financing and AI solutions for smallholder farmers, alongside a startup revolutionizing the biomaterials industry by harnessing the power of bioengineering to convert agricultural waste into sustainable, carbon-neutral polymers
• Health Tech: With 12% of entries, this category saw significant growth in telehealth solutions, pharmaceutical supply chain innovations, last-mile delivery solutions, and specialized health prevention technologies. 70% of the health tech entries fall into digital health, AI, and machine learning, with medical devices and mental health technologies comprising the rest.
• Fintech: Representing 27% of all entries, this year saw a diverse range of fintech solutions including digital currencies, digital-only banks, banking-as-a-service (BaaS), payments, ecommerce, and automation. For the first time, the competition has fintech finalists from Sudan and Morocco and a unique commerce solution for a mobile world.
• Youth: Featuring 10% of entries from founders under 26, this demographic's entrepreneurial spirit fosters the growth of new industries and sectors, thereby mitigating economic vulnerability through economic diversification. Winning solution include the first electronically financed trade platform for medical consumables and supplies, a community mobilization initiative promoting holistic health, innovation, and self-reliance, a technology startup focused on sustainable drone production and automation and a gamified English learning platform aimed at improving children's reading literacy across Africa.
• Women in Tech: This category saw a 34% increase in entries since 2023, celebrating solutions and initiatives dedicated to closing the gender gap and empowering women to embrace technology. From a startup providing access to coding, mentorship and networking opportunities for young women in Africa to solutions incorporating low income segments of the population into the digital economy, towards a more inclusive society.