AYuTe Africa Challenge Kenya for Kenyan Entrepreneurs 2023

The challenge is an initiative of Heifer Kenya, which is working closely with E4Impact Accelerator to run the competition. E4Impact Accelerator will employ its expertise in business acceleration to develop a strategic direction for youth, agriculture, and technology in line with Heifer Kenya’s mission and approach.

Kenya’s agriculture industry is the backbone of its economy. However, young Kenyans, who represent more than half of the national labor force, remain almost entirely excluded from this significant industry. This is due to challenges such as negative perceptions of agriculture, lack of awareness of agribusiness value chains, and limited opportunities offered by new technologies and innovative business models.

Young people have the potential to significantly reduce poverty and establish Kenya as one of the key players in agricultural markets. AYuTe Africa Challenge Kenya will translate the energy and ideas of young Kenyan agri-tech innovators into meaningful impact for smallholder farmers across the country and support the winners to grow their businesses and profile.

About AYuTe Africa Challenge

The AYuTe Africa Challenge one of the most ambitious agriculture competitions on the continent. We envision combining the power of African youth with the many possibilities of emerging technologies to support smallholder farmers across Africa to grow their businesses and incomes—a transformative force we call AYuTe.

AYuTe Africa Challenge Kenya

Aim and Benefits of AYuTe Africa Challenge Kenya

Enterprises can expect to receive the following:

1. Cash Prize awards of up to Ksh. 2,000,000 for the top winners.
2. Customized 2 months incubation program for the top 24 finalists.
3. Customized training boot camps at the various levels of the competition.
4. Technical assistance at the various levels of the challenge to strengthen the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and the business and financial model of the start-up.
5. Coaching and mentorship personalized to unpack training into business implementation.
6. Links to financial & investment opportunities.
7.  Networking opportunities to showcase your solution and meet with investors and other stakeholders.

Requirements for AYuTe Africa Challenge Kenya Qualification

1. Established or registered in Kenya.
2. Early-stage start-up (less than 3 years old).
3. Have an innovative agri-tech solution responding to the needs of the agri-value chain at various levels (e.g., production, aggregation, post-harvest losses management, value addition, access to markets, financing, etc).
4. Have a focus on impacting the lives of smallholder farmers.
5. The innovation should demonstrate a strong potential to scale

Application Deadline

How to Apply

The call for applications is open until 21st March 2023 at 11.59 PM EAT. Any queries? Please write to [email protected] / [email protected]

For more details, visit AYuTe Africa Challenge website.