Southern Africa Startup Awards is part of Global Startup Awards, a global competition to recognise the best talents of the global startup ecosystem. The overall process of the competition from national level up to the regional and global level consists of 4 different phases.
At this stage, the National Winners from various countries have been announced and here are Lesotho National Winners:
Startup of the Year: LinFord Vodka
A startup that has shown the greatest development over the last year based on growth, innovation, and impact with a product or service.
Best Newcomer: Botanical Wares
A startup that is up to two years old that has shown the greatest development over the last year based on growth, innovation, and impact with their product/service.
Best Water Crisis Management Solution: Iceberg Premium Health Water
A startup that has shown the greatest development over the last year based on growth, innovation and impact with a product/service that uses technology that contributes to the improvement of the living environment on a sustainable basis. Possible impacts to be considered include but are not limited to: Improvement of health conditions; Improvements in disaster prevention, preparedness and mitigation; More effective and efficient administrative, management and information systems.
Best FoodTech/ Agritech Startup: Limomonane Products
A startup that has shown the greatest development over the last year based on growth, innovation, and impact with a product/service that uses technology to improve agriculture and food production, supply chain, distribution channels, and consumption.
Best Social Impact Startup: Dust Busters
A startup that has shown the greatest development over the last year based on growth, innovation and impact by developing, and implement solutions to social, cultural, and/or environmental issues aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Best Ecosystem Initiative: Healthily Baked
A startup initiative that has empowered and supported entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses. A startup ecosystem initiative can be an event, a program, a project, an agenda etc. initiated by individuals, community building organisations, corporates & government.
Female Role Model of the Year: Relebohile Hlabana-Ketsi
The most inspirational and influential woman of the startup ecosystem, regardless of being a coder, a founder or a designer at a startup, a mentor or a facilitator, she demonstrates outstanding commitment and professionalism in her field.
Founder of the Year: Paballo Mokoqo
A startup founder that has shown notable achievements over the last year in terms of great customer growth, sales, funds raised, uniqueness, impact of the product/service and leadership in the ecosystem.
Best Accelerator/Incubator Program: PDollar and Associates
A fixed-term, cohort-based, mentorship-driven program that helps and empowers entrepreneurs to foster the growth of their innovative companies by providing tools, resources, connections, knowledge and expertise.
Southern Africa Startup Awards is the 1st annual award to celebrate and recognize the spirit of innovation and achievement in the startup ecosystem in SADC. Congratulations to all finalists from Lesotho.