PIVOT East, has unveiled semifinalist for this year’s event. The competition opened the call for applications in April 2015 with startups from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia applying.
This year also saw startups from Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Burundi and Israel applying to join the competition.
The criteria used by the judges helped to evaluate the startups’ purported customer pain, opportunity and customer segments, the solution and its fit to the problem, the revenue model, and analysis of the competitive landscape. Other selection criteria items helped to evaluate the caliber of the team and the startups’ focus to grow into sustainable enterprises.
PIVOT East aims to facilitate discovery and nurturing of the next wave of high potential mobile innovations into sustainable businesses.
The semifinalists are as follows:
Fintech Semifinalists
Hisa Play (Kenya): Real Time Stock Market simulation game with inbuilt Social network, teaching you how to be a financial guru in a fun easy way.
SoftProviders LTD (Rwanda): An IT solutions provider tailored to customer needs.
Shield (Kenya): A FinTech company operating in Kenya offering 3Ps; Payroll Finance, Payment Processing and Payday Loans (Salary Advances).
V-Money (Tanzania): Enabling use of “pin numbers on scratch cards/vouchers” to cash in/top-up mobile money to mobile users(eg.Mpesa) and to Mobile money agents.
KopaLeo (Kenya): A mobile/web/SMS platform that crowd sources for microfinance, insurance data and provide users information on loan borrowing.
Bangaiza (Kenya): A mobile solution that allows bank customers to issuing standing order instructions to mobile money and paybill numbers.
MOBFIT (Uganda): A web-based mobile application that will provide small scale businesses with easy to use financial records management tools.
Remit Wallet (Kenya): A zero rated product will transform funds transfer from diaspora to be more efficient with reduced cost of transaction.
Mobile Enterprise Semifinalists
Duma Works (Kenya): Connects growing companies to talent via an SMS-based job matching platform that ensures quality through a screening process.
Djuaji (Kenya): Facilitates scalable survey-based research to help businesses obtain data at low cost by paying respondents with mobile money.
Mobu (Kenya):Helps merchants convert their excess and new stock/services into a marketing tool through discovery commerce.
Sumuni (Kenya): Is a classified online platform where businesses and individuals can list thier items for hire,rent or lease to potential clients.
SapamaHRM.com (Kenya): Is a Cloud Human Resource Management System that streamlines and simplifies the already complex Human Resource Processes.
Tenderpreneur.net (Kenya): Is a cloud based platform that automates supplier discovery and tendering.
E-Kodi (Kenya): Revolutionizing the real estate industry by bringing all players onto one platform and creating a captive audience.
SaniCMS (Kenya): We help churches better connect with the congregation by providing a platform to manage membership records and day-to-day communication.
Vivi (Kenya): Is an online socio-commerce community that is dedicated to rewarding the loyalty of customers to the businesses that subscribe to it.
Delisasa (Kenya): Is an online discovery service providing basic information on small businesses in Africa.
Mobile Entertainment Semifinalists
Soka (Tanzania): Is the most reliable mobile platform to stay in touch instantly with all that is happening on ‘LOCAL AFRICAN’ football.
Boresha (Kenya): A digital content creator which specialises in curriculum aligned digital education resources in the form of ebooks, games, revision tests.
Moview (Tanzania): Is a free application designed to give fans of movies in Africa a platform to get instant information about movies.
Makarao (Kenya): (slang for‘The Police’) is a hilarious 2D animation series on YouTube with episodes ranging between1-2minutes.
ScrinArts (Kenya): Is pioneering the field of 3d game development in the country being among the first company in East Africa to develop a AAA game.
SpotMe (Kenya): The fastest way to keep up and meet your friends. You can easily see who’s out nearby and who wants to get together from a mutual background.
Zaala (Uganda): Is a mobile game that allows users to pick a number from 1-3 inclusive for a chance to win money and lots of prizes at any time.
TrendingshoW (Uganda): Is a mobile app for individuals to directly connect to their TV shows by giving users program lineups of any local TV station.
Guumzo (Tanzania): Is the easiest way to share customized, personal and public voices since the invention of ‘radios’ back in 1800s.
Kaka and Chui (Kenya): Game provides kids with a comprehensive introduction to the Swahili language. Make playing time learning time for your kids.
Mobile Society and Governance Semifinalists
Arifu (Kenya): An education market place where the world’s least served people find information they need from organizations they trust on any mobile phone.
BOOKEX (Kenya): Is an application developed to facilitate primary school students with the exchange of primary school book between successive class.
MySecurity (Kenya): Is a real-time source of official and crowd sourced crime data, missing and wanted persons lists.
Ultipedia (Kenya): Is an android game that makes exam preparation fun and interactive. No more to bulky and tedious books or revision material.
Aginfo (Tanzania): Works with smallholder farmers to facilitate them to access financing, input and output suppliers by keeping an online database.
Feedback-RT (Uganda): Is a mobile puzzle game which creates HIV/AIDS awareness to the player through pop-up questions. Real time feedback is given.
Politik (Kenya): Politics shouldn’t be grim. We aim to bring fun back in to it and in so doing increase participation among political leaders and the public.
eBantu (Uganda): We make Ugandan youth more valuable by providing inspiring videos of local achievers in different areas through our mobile and web platforms.
SoftBallot (Kenya): An online voting system.
Soma Africa (Uganda): Apply to any school in Uganda for any course anytime from anywhere, only leave your comfort on school reporting day.
Mobile Utility Semifinalists
Safemotos (Rwanda): Uses smartphone sensors to determine whether a moto taxi
driver is more or less safe than average then connect customers to safer drivers.
Snapp Builder (Kenya): “Democratize app creation” – Build your idea in 15 minutes with no technical knowledge required.
ENT-Mobile (Kenya): Builds a “friendship interface” to enable service providers to bring their products to users; instead of the users going for them.
Valid Dreams (Kenya): Is an online application for Students/Individuals looking for career options,to enable them to get into the right occupation.
Nikweli (Tanzania): Is a mobile-to-web job matching platform that connects employers and job seekers for low-to-medium-skilled positions.
Toboa Siri (Kenya): Is a content sharing application, where creatives have the opportunity to Create, Upload, Share, Connect and Make Money.
Javads (Kenya): Is a platform through which SME’s can “get the word out” on their products and services and actively engage their target audience.
Willapps Limited (Uganda): Creators of ‘YAMBA’, a mobile application that ensures public safety by facilitating vigilance and pro-activity.
Yanguwa (Uganda): Is an on-demand mobile app that connects clients with a vast network of affordable and reliable transporters across East Africa.
African Fashion (Tanzania): Embrace African culture,share,show case your outfits, hairstyles, Ornaments and live African way. Know How and where to get African Fashions.
