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Global Startup Awards announces Southern Africa winners

Global Startup Awards announces Southern Africa winners

Fifteen startups from Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe have been announced as Southern Regional Winners of the Global Startup Awards (GSA) Africa 2022/2023, the largest independent startup ecosystem competition on the continent.

The announcement took place at the launch edition of GITEX Africa 2023 in Marrakech, Morocco, late last week

The organisers of the awards, the Global Innovation Initiative Group (GIIG) and GSA said in a joint statement, that the regional winners will now advance to the Continental Finals of the GSA Africa competition where they will compete against their counterparts from northern, eastern, western and central Africa.

“Startups crowned an African winner will then join the GSA Grand Finale where they will have the unique opportunity to showcase their solutions alongside some of the world’s top entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and ecosystem enablers,” they added.

Lynkwise Co-Founders, Chief Executive, and brothers, Ryan and Sean Penderis, who shared the title of the region’s Founder of the Year, said they are elated and proud to be recognised for their hard work and innovative solutions in the African startup ecosystem.

“It is a testament to the dedication of our team and the impact we are making in the region. The awards will have a significant impact on our company and the African startup ecosystem and it will inspire other startups in the region, encouraging them to aim for excellence and fuelling the overall growth and development of the African startup ecosystem,” they added.

Lynkwise is a software development company and payroll dedication management platform with its headquarters in Windhoek, Namibia.

Reflecting on this year’s regional winners, GSA Africa and GIIG Co-Found, Jo Griffiths said with 189 finalists, Southern Africa did not disappoint.

“Our panel of judges was blown away by the quality and diversity of solutions that are actively working to solve some of our greatest challenges. From Angola to Zimbabwe startups like Lynkwise, Forestry & Citrus Research and Mzansi Meat Co. are proof that Africa is the tech continent of the future,” added Griffiths.

Griffiths emphasized that this year’s GSA Africa competition attracted 8272 entries from all 54 African countries, resulting in 71 regional winners across Africa, including twenty-three African countries being represented in the lineup of regional winners.

Announcing the regional winners at GITEX Africa were GSA Africa and GIIG Co-founder, Caitlin Nash said these winners represent the top startups in both their home country and region.

“This competition is all about building global bridges between our continent’s most exceptional solutions and the people, markets, and communities where they can make the most significant impact,” she added.

The GSA Africa is a platform dedicated to showcasing and scaling Africa’s most promising startups. This year’s competition focused on solutions in agriculture, climate change, commerce, education, healthcare, and mobility and logistics, with a particular interest in startups championing Web 3.0 technologies, sustainable business models, green innovation, and diversity in the workplace.


Lynkwise Co-Founders, Ryan and Sean Penderis. Lynkwise is a software development company and payroll dedication management platform with its headquarters in Windhoek, Namibia.


 

About The Author

Mandisa Rasmeni

Mandisa Rasmeni has worked as reporter at the Economist for the past five years, first on the entertainment beat but now focussing more on community, social and health reporting. She is a born writer and she believes education is the greatest equalizer. She received her degree in Journalism at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) in June 2021. . She is the epitome of perseverance, having started as the newspaper's receptionist in 2013.