1212 Top startups in Eastern Africa for August 2026

With over 700 digital assets available, this global cryptocurrency exchange offers Spot, Margin, P2P fiat, and Futures trading, as well as staking and lending services to its 27 million users worldwide. Join a community spanning 207 countries and regions for a seamless trading experience.

OKX is the second largest global crypto exchange by trading volume and a leading Web3 ecosystem. With monthly Proof of Reserve releases, OKX is trusted by over 50 million global users. OKX is the fastest and most reliable crypto trading app for professional traders everywhere. - Buy, sell, and trade 350+ tokens with 100+ local currencies - Duplicate moves from top traders in the industry in just one click - Explore Web3 and take control of your crypto, NFTs, and digital assets with the OKX Wallet With its extensive range of crypto products and services, and unwavering commitment to innovation, OKX’s vision is a world where financial access is backed by blockchain and the power of decentralized finance.

M-KOPA provides connected asset financing solutions for underbanked customers. Its platform combines digital micropayments and IoT connectivity to offer access to products including solar lighting, televisions, fridges, smartphones, financial services, and more.

Kilimall is a premier online marketplace in Kenya, designed to streamline shopping for Kenyans. It provides a seamless and enriching shopping experience, ensuring that customers can easily browse and purchase products, which are then delivered directly to their doorstep.

MYDAWA is a new and innovative service that allows anyone buy wide range of high quality medication and wellness products affordably and conveniently from your mobile phone.

The firm was formed by a team that had worked together as the executive team at a leading asset manager in the region. After a very successful tenure growing profitability by over 10 times, increasing assets by over 3 times and moving the previous firm from number 6 to number 1 (in the East-African region) by revenues, the team moved to create an independent firm focused solely on serving the interests of clients and investors. They strongly believe that if they wake up every day thinking about what is in the interest of clients, putting their interests ahead of their own and trading the short-term interests for the long-term interests, their clients will do very well. And when their clients do well, they will do well too. Cytonn Investments is an investment and real estate company, with offices in Nairobi - Kenya and DC Metro area - U.S. They are primarily focused on offering alternative investment solutions to global institutional investors, individual high net-worth investors, local institutional investors and diaspora investors interested in the East-African region.

Greenlight is a debit card and money app that provides an all-in-one money management platform for families and parents. Millions of parents and kids use Greenlight to earn, save, spend wisely, give, and invest. Parents can set flexible spending controls, manage chores, automate allowances, and invest for their kids’ futures. It offers up to 3% unlimited cash back on all purchases and gives parents the option to automatically invest those cash rewards in stocks and ETFs to spend on family-related expenses. Greenlight was founded in 2014 and is based in Atlanta, GA.

Victory Farms is an aquaculture farm for tilapia fish comprising of hatcheries, nursery ponds and deep-water cages for farming.

Apollo Agriculture is an agtech company that offers farmers access to agricultural inputs, financing, and advice. Apollo helps farmers in emerging markets maximize their profits. The company uses agronomic machine learning, remote sensing, and mobile phones to deliver a customized package of credit, high-quality farm inputs, and advice that can double farm yields, starting in Kenya. Apollo assesses farmer credit risk and customizes each package to a farmer's specific location using satellite data, soil data, farmer behavior data, and crop yield models.

Wasoko transforms access to essential goods and services by connecting small shops to the digital economy. It increases sales and market coverage for companies in emerging markets. It also enables informal retailers to order products at any time via SMS or mobile app, and receive free same-day delivery to their store. This makes it easier for shopkeepers to source goods and helps manufacturers ensure that their products are consistently available to consumers.

4G Capital has supported micro-enterprises in Africa since 2013, providing financial literacy training with working capital loans to help small businesses grow sustainably. 4G Capital clients receive a bespoke programme of business training to help them use micro-loans to achieve much higher take-home earnings. 4G Capital’s proprietorial machine learning technology delivers high fidelity insights from traditionally data dark sectors. We design scalable credit products and services optimized for clients’ business risks, timescales and affordability. Training is delivered via mobile apps and face-to-face outreach. Using only mobile money, loans are accessed in under two minutes with either smart or feature phones. 4G Capital directly addresses the Finance Gap across Africa. This stands at over $19 billion for Micro and SMEs in Kenya alone (source: IFC), even though this important segment accounts for over 30% of GDP. It is almost impossible for these companies to access credit without high collateral and data requirements. Over 30% of small businesses fail due to lack of funding. 4G Capital consistently achieves very high collections rates without collateral or refinancing its clients, by only lending to viable businesses on terms that are right for them. 4G Capital is on target to positively impact over 1 million people by 2020. With operations in Kenya and Uganda, and having received multiple industry awards, 4G Capital is now scaling across the continent and expanding its suite of products and services as Africa’s Fastest Fintech. Key achievements to date: · >94% collection rates without refinancing clients · Net Promoter Score 72 · Clients increase revenues by average 82% · 81% Women Customers · 82% Repeat Customers · 77% Rural Clients · 94% Increased financial literacy · $32M worth of loans to date · >50 locations in Kenya and expanding in Uganda and beyond · Partnership retail credit service plugs in to distributor systems to boost value chain sales

NALA is a mobile application that speeds up mobile money transactions by seven times, even without internet connection. With NALA, users can easily make transfers, payments, and transactions quickly and efficiently.

Greenlight is a debit card and money app that provides an all-in-one money management platform for families and parents. Millions of parents and kids use Greenlight to earn, save, spend wisely, give, and invest. Parents can set flexible spending controls, manage chores, automate allowances, and invest for their kids’ futures. It offers up to 3% unlimited cash back on all purchases and gives parents the option to automatically invest those cash rewards in stocks and ETFs to spend on family-related expenses. Greenlight was founded in 2014 and is based in Atlanta, GA.

M-KOPA provides connected asset financing solutions for underbanked customers. Its platform combines digital micropayments and IoT connectivity to offer access to products including solar lighting, televisions, fridges, smartphones, financial services, and more.

Wasoko transforms access to essential goods and services by connecting small shops to the digital economy. It increases sales and market coverage for companies in emerging markets. It also enables informal retailers to order products at any time via SMS or mobile app, and receive free same-day delivery to their store. This makes it easier for shopkeepers to source goods and helps manufacturers ensure that their products are consistently available to consumers.

E-Birr is a telecom value-added and Mobile Financial Service provider established in 2016. E-Birr is using the safari one Mobile financial services technology (MFS) and customizing it in a way to fit the Ethiopian market. The Safarifone MFS (safariMFS) is a proven financial service platform that has been in use by many operators in the region servicing millions of customers making more than 5 million transactions per day. COOPay-E-Birr is a brand for the mobile financial services provided by the E-Birr and the cooperative bank of Oromia. All version COOPay-E-Birr provides a range of mobile financial services including utility payments, bank transfer, remittances, merchant payments, airtime recharges, e-commerce.

Kawil is a global technology, consulting, and internet company helping enterprises reimagine their businesses for the digital age. The company offers an integrated portfolio of products, services, and solutions built around digital, IOT, Cyber Security, Artificial intelligence, cloud, Automation, engineering services, Data, Analytics, and emerging technologies. Kawil is a trusted global innovator of IT and business services helping our clients transform through consulting, industry solutions, business process services, digital and IT modernization, and managed services in over 20 countries.

OKX is the second largest global crypto exchange by trading volume and a leading Web3 ecosystem. With monthly Proof of Reserve releases, OKX is trusted by over 50 million global users. OKX is the fastest and most reliable crypto trading app for professional traders everywhere. - Buy, sell, and trade 350+ tokens with 100+ local currencies - Duplicate moves from top traders in the industry in just one click - Explore Web3 and take control of your crypto, NFTs, and digital assets with the OKX Wallet With its extensive range of crypto products and services, and unwavering commitment to innovation, OKX’s vision is a world where financial access is backed by blockchain and the power of decentralized finance.

M-KOPA provides connected asset financing solutions for underbanked customers. Its platform combines digital micropayments and IoT connectivity to offer access to products including solar lighting, televisions, fridges, smartphones, financial services, and more.

OKX is the second largest global crypto exchange by trading volume and a leading Web3 ecosystem. With monthly Proof of Reserve releases, OKX is trusted by over 50 million global users. OKX is the fastest and most reliable crypto trading app for professional traders everywhere. - Buy, sell, and trade 350+ tokens with 100+ local currencies - Duplicate moves from top traders in the industry in just one click - Explore Web3 and take control of your crypto, NFTs, and digital assets with the OKX Wallet With its extensive range of crypto products and services, and unwavering commitment to innovation, OKX’s vision is a world where financial access is backed by blockchain and the power of decentralized finance.

XT.COM is a global blockchain ecosystem and cryptocurrency exchange, and we have a very clear purpose: to serve people around the world by providing access to new financial and other opportunities backed by blockchain technology. We believe that by leading the innovation of web3 technology, we will shape the future of financial services industry and improve businesses across all sectors, while making a positive difference for all. Working at XT.COM is more than a job. Our global team and partners work collaboratively everyday towards achieving our purpose: by building, designing, advising, investing, partnering, and supporting some of the most exciting projects from around the world. Our international team of disruptors, change-makers, entrepreneurs, creatives, and market movers are not just expected to change things for the better, but to attempt to create things never thought possible. We understand that creating this change isn’t easy and the solution can come from anyone, anywhere. So even if you think you’re not qualified for this position, please reach out!

80X is a music production company and producer collective specializing in Hip-Hop, R&B, and Trap production, One of the company's objectives is to develop promising artists and producers from Mozambique and to obtain placements with artists from the region and abroad. 80X has rosters in various music genres such as alternative rock, r&b, and drill.