Africa is emerging as a hotbed of entrepreneurship and creativity. Across the content, young creative talents are rising, driving positive change, and reshaping industries. In this blog post, we explore the inspiring stories of the top 10 African tech startups revolutionizing the way Africans leverage the internet and mobile money.
1. Kobo360
Kobo360 is a Nigerian logistics tech startup. Obi Ozor and Ife Oyedele II founded Kobo360 in 2016 to link carriers and shippers through seamless web and mobile applications.
Traders and manufacturers that want to ship goods pay Kobo360 to match them to a truck driver who can deliver their cargo.
“We aggregate end-to-end haulage operations to help cargo owners, truck owners, drivers, and cargo recipients achieve an efficient supply chain framework”
Kobo360 website.
Kobo360 promises to reduce logistics bottlenecks and business risks across the supply chain. Additionally, the tech startup helps organizations lower product loss and manufacturing waste.
How do they use technology? Kobo360 uses AI and data analytics to reduce communication gaps, lower inefficiencies, optimize pick-ups, and enhance visibility in the delivery system.
Kobo360 has a least 225 employees and operates in seven countries across Africa.
2. Flutterwave
Flutterwave is a payment processing company. The fintech was founded in 2016 by a Nigerian software engineer and entrepreneur Olugbenga Agboola.
Flutterwave also allows individuals and businesses to make use of tech tools for business expansion and supports the creation of financial products. Additionally, the company provides a podium for online sales through its Flutterwave market.
Flutterwave relies on JavaScript API. The technology serves as the middle layer through which global merchants and payment service providers can integrate with a variety of payment systems and methods.
Flutterwave is supported in the UK, America, Europe, South Africa, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania.
3. Paystack
Paystack is another rising start to never miss in the list of the top 10 African tech startups. This Nigeria fintech startup was established in 2015 by its founders, Ezra Olubi and Shola Akinlade. Paystack is the duo’s combined study on IT and banking.
Paystack joined the Y Combinator Accelerator on 11th November 2015. It became the first Nigerian company to be invited into the program.
Paystack’s payment processing platform enables individuals and organizations to accept payments through mobile money, credit/debit cards, and bank transfers.
The company has since raised more than US $11.7 from 20 investors. One of its major funders was Google Launchpad Accelerator, which pumped $50,000 in grants to Paystack. Paystack is reportedly worth $200M.
Technology use: Paystack uses Google Analytics, jQuery, and HTML5 among several other technology products and services.
4. Cowrywise
Cowrywise is a Nigerian finance technology farm established in 2017. This top African start helps individuals to save and invest their savings. Razaq Ahmed-founded business creates value for its clients by taking away the stress of having to deal with the regular task of managing savings and investments.
Cowrywise makes money from managing investments on behalf of its customers. It makes use of 28 tech products and services including Google Analytics, JQuery, and HTML5.
5. Wasoko (Sokowatch)
Another remarkable tech startup on our list is Wasoko. Founded by Daniel Yu in 2013, the Kenya-based tech firm makes money from connecting informal African retailers to vendors.
What Wasoko does is simple. They cut out middlemen.
They purchase products in large quantities and at a discount and deliver the goods to small shops and stores. In this way, Wasoko allows informal retailers to access goods and services at reduced prices.
According to the latest reports, the B2B e-commerce startup operates in six countries with a total of 35 distribution hubs. The business was worth 125M as of 2022.
6. OkHi
OkHi is the sixth in our top 10 African startups to look up to this year. It was founded in 2014 to provide businesses and individuals with physical addresses using mobile technology.
The founder, Timbo Drayson built OkHi to provide a fully digital proof of address. The service enables businesses and fintechs to collect and verify customer addresses through smartphones. Thus, with OkHi, users do not need to rely on in-person interactions or physical visits.
OkHi interacts with fintech or banking apps digitally; collecting and verifying accurate addresses of customers.
Thanks to Drayson‘s experience at Google where he led the launching of Google Maps across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
7. Andela
Andela has one of the simplest, but most creative tech ideas for rising engineering professionals across Africa. Founded in 2014 by Christina Sass, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Jeremy Johnson, Nadayar Enegesi, Ian Carnevale, and Brice Nkengsa, Andela links African software engineers to multinational corporations looking to get the best out of Africa’s growing talents.
Andela also makes money in these ways:
(1) Developer training program
(2) Providing access to skilled developers through a global talent marketplace
(3) Solving Africa’s tech talent shortage
(4) Software development services –you can hire a software engineer associate to work on your software development project.
Andela has an active presence in 37 countries on five continents.
8. Health Helium
Health Helium is the product of a collective work of Tito Ovia, Adegoke Olubusi, and Dimeji Sofowora. The duo founded Health Helium in 2016 to provide tech solutions to users across the healthcare service industry.
Health Helium’s service portfolio comprises digital healthcare services, including health analytics software, billing systems, and health management and insurance tools. Other products are electronics medical records, and telemedicine tools.
Sendy operates in Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast. It has, however, reduced its expansions in South Africa and Egypt.
9. Metro Africa Xpress –Max
Max is a leading African tech startup changing transportation across the continent. Chinedu Azodoh and Adetayo Bamiduro co-founded MAX in 2015 to support mobility entrepreneurs financially while democratizing access to vehicle ownership.
Africa has millions of independent commercial drivers who use cars, motorcycles, or tuk-tuk (kekes) to move people and commodities to where they need to be. MAX provides the continent’s millions of small businesses and enterprises with access to these critical services.
Its products include insurance packages, licensing services, and vehicle ownership. Thus, MAX customers can focus on delivering goods safely and getting more customers.
Beyond its creativity, Max also appears among the top 10 African tech startups of the year due to its rapid financial growth. In less than a decade since its founding, Max is reportedly worth $124—186m according to Dealroom.
10. Lifebank
Life Bank is a Nigeria health tech beginner and a creative idea of Temie Giwa-Tubosun. The Nigerian-American health manager founded the company in 2015.
Life Bank offers door-to-door delivery of medical supplies to healthcare providers–from clinics to hospitals –as well as on-demand health products to individuals.
Some of the key products Life Bank sells are medical essential items, oxygen, and blood. Life Bank also leverages modern technologies like Google Map API to deliver vaccines.
LifeBank operates in Nigeria, Kenya, and Ethiopia.
Other Notable tech startups
Twiga Foods
Kenya’s fast-growing agri-tech startup, Twiga Foods, was founded in 2014. The company uses smartphone technologies to link farmers and retailers.
Twiga Food’s mobile app allows users to sell and get access to numerous agricultural products like cabbages, mangoes, onions, tomatoes, vegetables, and bananas.
The company promises to help farmers increase sales and buyers get access to more affordable products
Twiga Foods prioritizes five markets including Rwanda, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, and Tanzania,
