Kenyan innovative startups shine at Africa’s largest Entrepreneurship and Impact Investment Summit

NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 1…The awards were announced at the 12th Sankalp Africa Summit, held at the Edge Convention Centre in Nairobi an event that brought together over 1,500 investors, entrepreneurs and policymakers from across the continent.

The summit hosted by Intellecap, part of the Aavishkaar Group focused on scaling African entrepreneurship by connecting startups with funding opportunities, market linkages and mentorship. 

Four innovative startups were crowned winners of the prestigious Sankalp Africa Awards 2025, recognizing African enterprises tackling some of the region’s most pressing social and economic challenges. 

This year’s overall winner was Kilimo Fresh Foods Africa (Tanzania), led by Founder Baraka Chijenga, the startup operates a B2B2C marketplace that connects farmers, consumers, businesses, and informal retailers to fresh produce using mobile technology.

The first runner-up was Bena Care (Kenya), a health-tech startup founded by Naomi Monari. The company provides affordable home-based nursing and therapy services to chronically ill patients in middle- to low-income communities while training caregivers to earn an income.

Subsequently, second runner-up was Dawa Mkononi (Tanzania), founded by Joseph Paul. The healthcare startup leverages technology to improve medicine distribution across Africa, reducing supply chain inefficiencies.

In addition a special Sankalp Ecosystem Award, determined through voting by impact ecosystem stakeholders was awarded to Organic Fields (Kenya), led by Founder and CEO Richard Mwangi.

Kenya’s startup ecosystem attracted over $1.2 billion in venture capital in 2023, a testament to the country’s dynamic entrepreneurial landscape.

“The Sankalp Africa Awards 2025 has truly been an enriching experience when it comes to meeting hundreds of impact enterprises whose business promise and potential is crucial to solving economic and development challenges across the continent”, said Karnika Yadav, Partner and Director, Intellecap Africa.

“We are inspired by the ideas and the cutting edge innovation of our winners, each of whom demonstrate the ability to drive action, catalyse collaborations and influence positive outcomes,” added Karnika Yadav.