Held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, the summit was organized by TotalEnergies in partnership with AWS Startups, Technology Innovation Agency, GIZ SAIS, ESquared Investments, Wesgro, and The City of Cape Town.

Alderman James Voss, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth in the City of Cape Town expressed his delight at being present at the event, describing Cape Town as South Africa’s leading tech ecosystem and he highlighted the importance of ensuring innovation and investment opportunities meet through catalytic partnerships that promote unique African designed solutions geared at solving world problems.

During his welcome address, Viarnaud acknowledged that the last two years have been tough for both founders and investors navigating the funding winter while they focus on solving complex problems. He reminded investors, startup founders, and ecosystem builders in the room that a downturn in the economy is a good time to invest, especially when it comes to investing in the African tech asset class. He said;

Now is the time to invest, Africa is not waiting for the future, we are shaping it.

Viarnaud reflected on the early days of AfricArena in 2017 when only about USD$300 million (approx. UGX1.097 trillion) in funding was flowing into the African continent; he highlighted the remarkable growth, noting that venture capital funding has now surpassed $2 billion this year.

His message to founders, investors, ecosystem organizations and government is that we must, “Believe we will prevail as an African tech ecosystem for if we believe we can build better, aim higher, think big and don’t go home, the investors will follow us because if we are long on this asset class, this asset class will ultimately lead.”

Over 100 startups from 31 African countries, including the TotalEnergies Startupper Challenge winners attended the summit and 45 were selected to pitch their ventures. Nine (9) out of the 45 startups emerged as winners among Africa’s best tech startups in their respective categories —and each won USD$25,000 (approx. UGX91.5 million) in AWS Activate credits.

The AfricArena Grand Summit winners were:

1. Best AI and Deep Tech Startup Award: OkHi (Nigeria).
2. Best Agri Tech Startup Award: Djoli (Ivory Coast).
3. Best Fintech Startup Award: Joro Cash (Morocco).
4. Best Climate Tech Startup Award: Gjenge Makers (Kenya).
5. Best SaaS Startup Award: Cynoia (Tunisia).
6. Best Seed Startup Award: Letsoela Agro-Aviation (Lesotho).
7. Best Startupper Award: Anda (Angola).
8. Most Value Add Investor Award: Knife Capital.
9. Most Promising Entrepreneur: Gael Egbidi (Togo).

Roger Norton, Chief Product Officer at OkHi was thrilled his startup won the Best AI and Deep Tech Startup Award in Africa. “We do address verification in an unsexy, regulated environment, and winning the top AI startup award is great validation that you can apply cutting-edge technology in typically slow-moving sectors.” He added, “Particularly to help accelerate digital transformation and enable economic agency for even the most disadvantaged communities.”

Solimi co-founder and CEO Gael Egbid was overwhelmed with her win. “I feel very proud and happy—this is huge for me, my country, and my company,” she said. “Being recognized as the Most Promising Entrepreneur means a lot because it highlights the innovation coming from Togo here in South Africa, where we have so many amazing startups. I want to thank AfricArena, my country, and my company for this incredible honor.”

Stunned at winning the best investor pitch, Ayanda Bolani, an Investor Associate at Knife Capital accepted the Most Value Add Investor Award on behalf of Knife Capital. “This is a very beautiful moment of recognition,” said Bolani.

Keet van Zyl, co-founder, and partner at Knife Capital, shared the significance of winning the Most Value Add Investor Award, highlighting Knife Capital’s commitment to supporting their portfolio companies beyond just providing capital. He emphasized that focusing on not only funding but also providing companies with networks helps to add strategic value and validates Knife Capital’s approach to attract quality companies seeking investors who contribute more than just funding.

Van Zyl also noted the pride in having team members represent the firm, reflecting its growth and evolution.

Knife Capital continues to play a key role in Africa’s tech and investment landscape, including the USD$50 million (approx. UGX182.87 billion) African Series B expansion fund, Knife Fund III, aimed at bridging funding gaps for scalable South African B2B tech companies.

Recognitions like this award reinforce Knife Capital’s leadership in supporting innovation-driven businesses across the continent.

AfricArena has established itself as a leading platform dedicated to creating market access and fostering investment opportunities for a growing community of tech founders, angel investors, corporate innovators, and venture capitalists. Designed with a digital-first mindset, AfricArena operates through a series of high-impact investment deal flow events, tailored interventions, and an open-source platform that champions the principles of open innovation and entrepreneurship.

In just eight years since its launch, they have earned significant credibility within the global tech startup ecosystem, with alumni startups collectively raising over USD$850 million (approx. UGX3.108 trillion) in funding.

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