21 November
The Hasso Plattner School of Design Thinking Afrika
TOP 5 STARTUPS
SOUTH AFRICA 2024
South Africa's Top 5 Most Exciting Startups Awards 2024.
The Premier Startup Awards in Southern Africa.
6pm, 21 November, Hasso Plattner d-school at University of Cape Town.
Brought to you by Heavy Chef, Daily Maverick, South African Future Trust and Hasso Plattner d-school.
VIEW THE 2024 WINNERS HERE
The Top 5 Startups 2024 awards were held at the iconic Hasso-Plattner d-school at University of Cape Town.
The 2024 Winners:
SA's Top 5 Most Exciting Startups
DeliveryKaSpeed - Delivering quality goods for the townships. Elevating the lifestyle of people living in kasi. Qwili - A digital sales portal for unbanked customers to earn commission from airtime, data, electricity, bus tickets, TV subscriptions, appliances and fashion items. SV Capital - Making investing straightforward and available to all and putting back into the country. Created over 600 jobs from initial fund portfolio. Tipped - Changing the way informal tipping can happen. Increasing earnings for vendors by 40% using digital wallets (including foreign nationals). TUNL - Long distance delivery has been a consistent challenge for Africa’s e-commerce merchants. Now TUNL is making international courier services easy and affordable for everyone.
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The 2024 Shortlist:
This Year's Most Exciting Startups
The judges selected from 185 individual startups. The following fine startups were selected for final consideration for the 2024's Top 5 Startups. The five winners were announced on 21 November 2024 at the Hasso Plattner, d-school Afrika.
Amari Health (formerly The Pocket Couch) - Harnessing the power of mental well-being solutions to transform the way organisations approach employee wellness. BAOM - Replacing the plastic used in agriculture with a cellulose-based alternative. Protecting the soil biome for future generations. Bento - Revolutionising Employee Benefits with a platform that makes it affordable and accessible for employers and employees to make the most of their earnings. DeliveryKaSpeed - Delivering quality goods for the townships. Elevating the lifestyle of people living in kasi. Dragonfly Aerospace - Providing a range of services for commercial satellites and building tools at the forefront of the South African space race. Fixxr - A network of mobile mechanics in South Africa offering fair and transparent pricing, high-quality parts, and a 6-month/10,000km warranty. ProItUP Optics - Manufacturing world-class sporting optics and optical products for birdwatchers, safari-goers, and wildlife enthusiasts. QP Dronetech - Using Drone Tech to train Africa’s youth, making technology accessible and practical. Qwili - A digital sales portal for unbanked customers to earn commission from airtime, data, electricity, bus tickets, TV subscriptions, appliances and fashion items. SV Capital - Making investing straightforward and available to all and putting back into the country. Created over 600 jobs from initial fund portfolio. Tipped - Changing the way informal tipping can happen. Increasing earnings for vendors by 40% using digital wallets (including foreign nationals). TUNL - Long distance delivery has been a consistent challenge for Africa’s e-commerce merchants. Now TUNL is making international courier services easy and affordable for everyone.
2024 Top 5 Startups Panel Of Judges
Aisha Pandor, Co-Founder, SweepSouth. Bastiaan Hochstenbach, Co-Founder, E4E Africa. Jess Boonstra, Founder, YeboFresh. Sebastian Patel, Co-Founder, Franc. Nico Jacobs, CEO, SA Future Trust. Zinhle Novazi, Director, Heavy Chef Foundation. Ndia Magadagela, Co-Founder, Everlectric. Lukhanyo Neer, Chairman, Heavy Chef Foundation.
SA's Top 5 Most Exciting Startups Awards brought to you by the following fine organisations:
With support from the following entrepreneur-focused organisations:
Startup Awards Entry Criteria (FAQ).
Every year, the South African entrepreneur ecosystem celebrates the amazing businesses that are driving the economy forward.
How Are The Startups Nominated?
Heavy Chef puts out a call for entries in August each year. Nominations are collected on this page.
When And Where Are The Winners Announced?
The Top 5 Most Exciting Startups are announced at UCT Hasso Plattner d-school in Cape Town at the end of November. Tickets are available via Heavy Chef here.
How Are The Startups Evaluated?
The three main criteria are: 1) innovation, 2) scalability, 3) must have their own IP.
Most of all, we're looking for 'exciting' startups. We're looking for startups that are changing the world in some way.
What Are The Eligibility Criteria?
These are the parameters that qualify startups for consideration:
- Startups must have been trading for less than seven years.
- Startups must be registered as businesses in South Africa.
- Startups must have at least one South African founder.
Note: we're not looking at financial results. However, it helps if you've come out of the gates strong. It also helps if you've attained a strong measure of recognition, media attention and publicity. Previous winners are not eligible.
Who Are The Judges?
Each year Top 5 Startups appoints eight highly-qualified persons to evaluate the nominations. Here are 2024's judges:
- Aisha Pandor, SweepSouth.
- Bas Holstenbach, E4E Africa.
- Jessica Boonstra, YeboFresh.
- Sebastian Patel, Franc.
- Nico Jacobs, SA Future Trust.
- Zinhle Novazi, Heavy Chef (Judge Chairperson).
- Ndia Magadagela, Everlectric.
- Lukhanyo Neer, Heavy Chef.
When Are The Top 5 Named?
Heavy Chef hosts a gala event at the end of November. Book your seats here.
Previous Winners:
2017: Jumo, SweepSouth, Wala, Yoco, Zoona.
2018: Aerobotics, DataProphet, LifeCheq, LifeQ, Thursdays.
2019: 3x4 Genetics, DigsConnect, Lula, Mama Money, MyFanPark.
2020: Bathu, Carry1st, EasyEquities, MatchKit, Yebo Fresh.
2021: FCB. ai. Kusini Water. Livestock Wealth. Valenture Institute. WalkFresh.
2022: Curbon. Franc. Parket. Floatpays. Zoie.
2023: Botlhale AI. Everlectric. Jem. MySocialLife. Strove.
2024: DeliveryKaSpeed. Qwili. SV Capital. Tipped. TUNL.
Who Are The Organisations Behind The Awards?
The Top 5 Startups awards are produced by Heavy Chef.
When Do Entries Close?
Early Sep: Nominations open.
End Oct: First round of judging starts.Top 12 shortlist of startups named.
Early Nov: Final round of judging begins.
End Nov: SA's Top 5 Most Exciting Startups named at the iconic UCT Hasso Plattner d-school venue, Cape Town.
What Are Some Tips For Entries?
- Keep your entries short.
- Judges don't have time to read essays.
- Get to your point of distinction quickly.
- Entries are not judged on number of nominations (but it does help!)
The 2023 Winners:
SA's Top 5 Most Exciting Startups
Botlhale AI - Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to creatively solve the continent's intricate challenges through overcoming language barriers. Everlectric - A seamless transition to electric fleets, prioritising simplicity and sustainability for clients. Jem - Payslips and instant employee information, including early pay access using messaging platforms like WhatsApp. MySocialLife - Education, mental health, online safety, media literacy, and privacy for teens and pre-teens. Strove - In-app meditations and well-being surveys, encompassing stress, sleep, work, among other mental indicators.
South Africa's Premier Startup Awards Evening
www.top5startups.com
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