Twenty startups have advanced to the semi-finals of the MEST Africa Challenge 2025, the pan-African pitch competition run with strategic partner Absa. The cohort reflects a cross-section of fintech and adjacent high-value solutions spanning payments, credit, trade, agri-fintech, and financial literacy. Organizers said the selections represent the most scalable ideas from hundreds of submissions across eight Absa priority markets.
Program Overview and Theme
Now in its seventh edition, the Challenge is anchored on the theme “You Build, We Scale,” signaling a focus on turning validated ideas into products that can grow across borders. Founders from Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Uganda, and Zambia will showcase tools built for real operating conditions in African markets. The brief emphasizes tangible impact for consumers and small businesses, especially where financial access remains limited.
Founders’ Vision and MEST Perspective
MEST Africa highlighted the blend of hard tech with practical empathy that runs through the cohort. “Each of these founders represents a unique path toward reimagining how finance works for Africans,” said Ashwin Ravichandran, Portfolio Advisor at MEST Africa and MAC Lead. He added that technology tied to lived experience is more likely to solve community problems and attract durable investor interest.
Absa’s Role and Commitment
Absa returns as the Challenge’s strategic partner and continues to back digital innovation that broadens financial inclusion. “At Absa, we see ourselves as partners in this journey, guided by a purpose to make banking simpler, more accessible, and more relevant for our customers,” said Tawanda Chatikobo, Head of Digital for Absa Regional Operations, Retail and Business Banking. The bank said its participation underscores an open collaboration model with startups working on core infrastructure and user-centric financial products.
Snapshot of the Semi-Finalists
The 20 companies span early infrastructure and application layers, with several solving identity, credit, and payments fragmentation. Examples include Botswana’s mystock.africa for retail investing, Ghana’s Brydge for trade enablement, and Kenya’s Logistify AI for SME procurement optimization. Others target agri-fintech and risk, such as Farmsky Ventures and Investa Farm in Kenya, while Mauritius’s Black Swan applies alternative data to score the unbanked.
Market Coverage and Sector Breadth
Mozambique’s Simulador Bancário focuses on planning and loan simulations, while Seychelles’ Fusepay operates as a licensed payment service provider. Uganda has a dense cluster that includes Paytota for unified payments, Xzerra for biometric transactions in schools, and Kanzu Finance for SACCOs, VSLA groups, and microfinance institutions. Additional Ugandan ventures like Axiom Zorn, Credify Africa, and eMaisha Pay address data, trade finance, and inclusive merchant payments.
Zambia’s Fintech Pipeline
Zambia contributes a broad slate ranging from embedded lending to agent banking and stablecoin-enabled cross-border payments. Ebusaka Green Technology links recycling incentives with digital payments, KreativBox Technology offers salary-backed loans, and Mighty Finance Solution focuses on SME and women-led enterprise credit. Devdraft Ai builds stablecoin wallets for freelancers and businesses, while Homer Price Agency Solutions operates a nationwide agent network exceeding 550 outlets.
Timelines and Competitive Stakes
Semi-final pitches will run virtually during the week of October 27, 2025, with judging set to produce a final list of ten. Those finalists will compete on November 26, 2025, at a Demo Day in Cape Town, South Africa, where external partners and investors are expected to attend. The winner receives a 50,000 dollar equity investment, expanded mentorship access, and the option to explore pilot pathways with Absa business units.
Strategic Impact and Industry Outlook
Absa executives said the pipeline aligns with the continent’s broader digital transformation trends and customer expectations for faster, safer, and more relevant finance. “Through this challenge, we’re seeing solutions that are not only innovative but strategically aligned with Africa’s evolving technology landscape,” said Tamu Dutuma, Head of Strategy and Transformation for ARO Technology. The bank believes targeted pilots can turn promising proof-of-concepts into scalable platforms that meet regulatory and operational standards.
Track Record and Support Network
Since 2008, MEST Africa has trained and supported more than 2,000 entrepreneurs while investing in over 90 startups. Alumni benefit from technical mentorship, market access, and investor introductions, which the organizers say remain decisive for scaling beyond a single country. The Challenge serves as the organization’s flagship mechanism to identify high-potential founders and plug them into this support loop.
With 20 semi-finalists now named, the MEST Africa Challenge enters a decisive selection phase that will narrow the field to ten finalists. The breadth of solutions from investing to agri-risk and cross-border trade underscores where African fintech is concentrating its energy in 2025. The combination of MEST’s support infrastructure and Absa’s commercial pathways sets a clear runway for the most execution-ready teams.