Twenty five start ups have been selected for the Challenger Digital & Green Innovation acceleration programme, a move that highlights the growing demand for local solutions that are both climate conscious and digitally enabled. These companies are working in areas that matter to everyday life including farming, waste management, food supply and clean energy. Through this programme, the founders will gain training, expert support and access to networks that can help them scale. The initiative will empower them to offer stronger services, create jobs and support communities as they adapt to climate changes and new market needs.
The accelerator is delivered by Civitta in collaboration with GrowthAfrica, mLab Southern Africa, Latitude59 and Startup Wise Guys. It is part of the Digital and Green Innovation Action under the Estonian Centre for International Development. This work sits inside Team Europe’s Twin Transition Initiative and is co funded by Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Estonia and the European Commission.
Innovators Building Climate Resilience
Meet the selected start-ups:
Blancosy LTD, Founder Antony Makanga converts waste materials into useful products like Eco-Makaa and Eco-Jiko. The company also runs awareness programmes to show communities that waste can have value.
Carbon Zero Mobility, Founder Patrick Kimathi offers Dominion-EV to make last mile logistics more affordable and greener. The service supports cleaner transport in urban and peri urban areas.
DroughtSmart, Founder Sumeiya Juma is an agritech firm that uses AI to give crop yield insights and provides drip irrigation kits to farmers in drought prone areas.
Grofunder Africa, Founder Melanie Namukuru uses data driven credit scoring and financial tools to connect investors with Kenya’s smallholder farmers. The aim is to reduce investor risk and help farmers increase yields.
Aetos Dairy, Founder Trevor Amanya provides tech enabled, data driven support to Uganda’s dairy value chain. The company works with farmers, cooperatives and processors to boost productivity and quality.
GFI by FarmSawa, Founder Kenneth Kabue is an AI WhatsApp bot built for farmers. Farm Sawa gives fast advisory services, links farmers to input suppliers and builds a farming community network.
BioAfri Solution, Founder Bakari Chaka develops environmental innovations that address local needs.
Solakilimo Solutions Ltd, Founder Asiba Raphael provides solar powered cold storage and a farm to market service. The company helps dairy, fish and livestock traders preserve produce and access better markets, with special work supporting women groups.
DroFarmer Services, Founder Grace Nzambi offers Drone as a Service for crop spraying, monitoring, yield estimation, risk assessment and carbon mapping. The service helps small scale farmers work smarter.
Quanomic Engineering Services, Founder Araya Mengistu supplies professional solutions for irrigation and water resource development. The company focuses on fast, accurate and reliable engineering services.
ROCK ELECTRONIC WASTE SOLUTIONS LTD, Founder Zipporah Wachera collects, recycles and responsibly disposes of e waste. The firm empowers youth and supports a circular economy while reducing pollution.
Vangreen Enterprise Ltd, Founder Maurine Birir produces premium briquettes from renewable resources. The product reduces deforestation and lowers emissions while offering an affordable alternative to traditional fuels.
PATVENTION BEEKEEPERS, Founder Patrice Wachira sells beehives, honey, royal jelly and bee gear. The business also offers hive inspection, colonization and bee attractant services.
TruSource.io, Founder Peter Kanda runs a cloud based cold chain and logistics platform for agricultural producers and exporters. The system covers warehouse management, logistics coordination and compliance documentation.
Bahari Mezani, Founder Alphonce Ochieng supports fresh fish supply through eco friendly aquaculture, black soldier fly farming and waste reuse.
T-Bin Innovation, Founder Eddy Gitonga designs and manufactures smart waste bins that reduce waste generation and increase recycling.
Inter Ethiopia Solutions PLC, Founder Firehiwot Tesfaye refurbishes solar home systems and li-ion batteries and manages e-waste responsibly. The company targets rural communities and refugee settings to increase access to affordable energy.
Freza Nanotech, Founder Mugisha Giftarnold uses nanotechnology to preserve fruit and extend shelf life, helping reduce food loss.
Everlend Agritech, Founder Emmanuel Twesigye runs a B2B digital platform that gives smallholder farmers access to climate resilient seeds and an online marketplace to sell produce.
CapapoSolutions, Founder Mercy Mnyaka turns local waste into durable eco products while educating communities on sustainable practices.
Bina Products, Founder Fayza Shemsu makes BINA Pads which are sustainable and affordable menstrual products designed for comfort and lower environmental impact.
Rafiki PEPS Enterprise, Founder Terry Aketch promotes waste segregation at source. The company provides segregation bins, links recyclables to recyclers and runs the Mombasa Cage for Change project to collect plastic from schools.
Farm Mall, Founder Julia Mumbe is an agribusiness platform that offers farmers a virtual shop to buy farm products in bulk. The aim is to improve availability, accessibility and affordability of food.
Arinifu Technologies, Founder George Chege builds IoT systems for smallholder chicken farmers. The Smart Brooder replaces charcoal heating and gives data driven recommendations for healthier flocks.
Silo Africa, Founder Eliud Rugut offers digitized grain silos to reduce post harvest losses and help households become more climate resilient.
A New Wave of Green and Digital Leaders
These ventures show that climate resilience and digital progress can grow together. They are practical, locally rooted and ready to scale. The Challenger programme will help them reach more farmers, traders and communities. With training, networks and funding support they can improve incomes, reduce waste and protect natural resources.
This group of founders represents a new wave of green and digital leaders in East Africa. Their work will strengthen local supply chains, open new markets and create jobs. The programme is a step toward a future where sustainable growth and technology work together. Congratulations to all the selected start ups.
