A Nairobi-based logistics company has won Sh2.6 million ($25,000) in a tech start-up competition hosted in the capital city by American news site TechCrunch and social networking giant Facebook.
Lori Systems, which provides a payments and tracking platform for companies, was crowned winner out of a group of 15 companies that participated in Startu-p Battlefield Africa.
Lori Systems also won a trip to participate in Disrupt San Francisco 2018, a TechCrunch event in which start-ups from across the globe will exhibit their products and go up against their peers in the search for potential investors.
Other companies that received accolades at the event included SynCommerce, a Ghanaian firm that was deemed the best in the gaming and entertainment category of the competition.
SynCommerce allows companies to list and manage their products simultaneously across different e-commerce platforms such as eBay and Etsy.
Another Ghanaian firm, AgroCenta, was the winner in the social good category.
The company provides a service to small scale farmers that allows them better access of markets by cutting out middlemen.
Over 1,000 companies had initially applied to participate in the Battlefield Africa. However, they were culled over the last few months to the final 15.
The Start-up Battlefield Africa was the first event of its kind on the continent.
However, TechCrunch has been running similar events across the world since 2007 during which companies have managed to raise up to Sh722.8 billion ($7 billion) in funding.
Start-up Battlefield Africa was part of a week of events in Nairobi by Facebook. The company also hosted a three-day training course for developers from across the continent and an event for women in technology.
Source link-businessdailyafrica.com
