Six African startups have been selected as winners of the 2026 FINCA (https://FINCA.org/ )Ventures Prize Competition (https://apo-opa.co/4zgFQFQ), receiving a combined $400,000 in catalytic funding to accelerate their impact in key resilience sectors. The competition, a flagship initiative of FINCA’s impact investing arm (https://apo-opa.co/4zimrEA), spotlights the depth and potential of entrepreneurial talent developing practical, scalable responses to some of the continent’s most pressing challenges.
“Africa’s future will be shaped by entrepreneurs who see opportunity where others see market failure,” said FINCA Global CEO Andrée Simon. “One of the most important ways we can support these founders is by backing them early and helping them build the credibility and traction to attract additional investment and achieve meaningful scale.”
Now in its third year, the FINCA Ventures Prize Competition drew more than 700 applications in two categories: fintech for financial inclusion and sustainable agriculture&food systems. First-place winners in each category — VunaPay, co-founded by Gatwiri Njogu-Mokaya and Koya Matsuno, and Kumbatia Seafood, co-founded by Bernard Iha Thoya, Will Gertler, and Nelson Ondego Mumata — received a $100,000 grant, while second- and third-place winners received $60,000 and $40,000, respectively.
A Case for Early Investment
The companies recognized through the FINCA Ventures Prize Competition illustrate the vast opportunity emerging across Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Too often, promising founders struggle to tap into traditional investment networks, despite strong potential, proven track records, and innovative business models.
“Entrepreneurship remains one of the most powerful drivers of economic progress across the continent, but early-stage businesses can’t do it alone,” said FINCA Ventures Managing Director Winnie Mwangi. “Catalytic capital is what allows founders to reach the scale where both financial returns and social impact compound. Investors and partners willing to act early play an essential role in supporting startups through critical growth stages and drawing attention to opportunities that might otherwise be overlooked.”
Advancing Africa’s Startup Ecosystem
The six finalist companies of the 2026 competition, three of which are led or co-led by women, pitched their ventures to a panel of distinguished judges on October 6 in San Francisco at an event hosted by Cisco, and the winners were announced later that evening at an award celebration. The judging panel comprised leaders from across impact investing, venture capital, fintech, and sustainable development.
The award will help first-place winner VunaPay scale its model designed to expand access to timely payments and financing for smallholder farmers through agricultural cooperatives. As co-founder Koya Matsuno explained: “There are about 54,000 cooperatives across Africa, and each of them has between 500 and 10,000 farmers. This equates to millions of smallholder households that we can serve.”
Kumbatia Seafood’s co-founder Will Gertler shared that the team will use the funding to expand the company’s operations to increase impact for small-scale fishers on the Swahili Coast: “The FINCA Ventures Prize will go towards working capital and expansion financing to build out our first sales department and scale our intervention to a dozen more communities by 2030.”
Second-place winners are nesti, co-founded by Christabel Ojuok and David Kimani, in fintech for financial inclusion, and eAgro, co-founded by Tafadzwa Chikwereti and Golden Nhunhama, in sustainable agriculture&food systems. Third-place winners are ChatCash, co-founded by John Josiah Sakala, Leon Kanamugire, Edgar Erick, and Jude Egbokwu, in fintech for financial inclusion, and Pollen Patrollers, co-founded by Margaret Wanjiku, Julieta Wanjohi, and Charity Maina, in sustainable agriculture&food systems.
“The FINCA Ventures Prize is an opportunity to spotlight emerging African entrepreneurs who are creating jobs and building financial and social resilience across the continent,” said FINCA International Board Chair David Weisman. “Their ingenuity and determination are remarkable, and their impact deserves far greater visibility.”
Winners of the 2026 FINCA Ventures Prize Competition
Category: Fintech for Financial Inclusion
FIRST PLACE – $100,000
VunaPay
Website: www.VunaPay.com
Location: Kenya
Founders: Gatwiri Njogu-Mokaya (https://apo-opa.co/4i7JDzD) and Koya Matsuno (https://apo-opa.co/4zboAC6)
In Kenya, VunaPay (www.VunaPay.com) builds last-mile payment and credit infrastructure for agricultural value chains across Africa, enabling instant payments to smallholder farmers through cooperatives. COO Koya Matsuno explained how the company’s digital finance platform is improving transparency, efficiency, and access to formal financial services.
SECOND PLACE – $60,000
nesti
Website: https://nesti.Africa/
Location: Kenya
Founders: Christabel Ojuok (https://apo-opa.co/4ekj2Ns) and David Kimani (https://apo-opa.co/3VUtFjH)
In Kenya, nesti (https://nesti.Africa/) is turning rent into a credit-building tool by converting regular, on-time payments into a trusted financial identity that unlocks fair credit and home ownership. CEO David Kimani explained that the company’s mission is to help African renters build generational wealth and achieve financial freedom.
THIRD PLACE – $40,000
ChatCash
Website: https://ChatCash.africa/
Location: Rwanda, Zimbabwe
Founders: John Josiah Sakala, (https://apo-opa.co/3U7xfqe) Leon Kanamugire (https://apo-opa.co/4AX9FgE), Edgar Erick, and Jude Egbokwu (https://apo-opa.co/3VQRetJ)
In Rwanda and Zimbabwe, ChatCash (https://ChatCash.africa/) is an AI conversational operating system that turns WhatsApp into automated digital storefronts with native, interactive payment buttons for African micromerchants. CEO John Josiah Sakala explained that the platform helps merchants double their conversion rates while building transaction trails that can unlock access to financial services.
Category: Sustainable Agriculture&Food Systems
FIRST PLACE – $100,000
Kumbatia Seafood
Website: www.KumbatiaSeafood.com
Location: Kenya
Founders: Bernard Iha Thoya (https://apo-opa.co/4ARW5e9), Will Gertler (https://apo-opa.co/4zp9k4J), and Nelson Ondego Mumata (https://apo-opa.co/3VUDiyS)
Kumbatia Seafood (www.KumbatiaSeafood.com) sources, finances, and distributes sustainably caught, artisanal fish from small-scale fishing communities along Kenya’s Swahili Coast. CEO Will Gertler explained how the company combines financing, cold chain logistics, export-grade processing, and full digital traceability to connect coastal fishers to premium markets while protecting the marine ecosystems they depend on.
SECOND PLACE – $60,000
eAgro
Website: https://eAgro.co.zw/
Location: Zimbabwe
Founders: Tafadzwa Chikwereti (https://apo-opa.co/4zgFuPD) and Golden Nhunhama (https://apo-opa.co/3VReyHO)
In Zimbabwe, eAgro builds AI infrastructure that works without internet, enabling farmers in rural communities to access real-time agricultural guidance through basic mobile phones. CEO Tafadzwa Chikwereti explained how the company’s digital tools combine AI, satellite analytics, soil science, and local advisory systems to improve yields, reduce losses, and strengthen climate resilience across Africa.
THIRD PLACE – $40,000
Pollen Patrollers
Website: www.PollenPatrollers.com
Location: Kenya
Founders: Margaret Wanjiku (https://apo-opa.co/4zjwAB5), Julieta Wanjohi (https://apo-opa.co/4i54LXg), and Charity Maina
In Kenya, Pollen Patrollers uses solar-powered IoT technology and AI-driven pollination services to help smallholder farmers and beekeepers increase crop yields and reduce bee colony collapse. CEO Margaret Wanjiku explained how the company is building more resilient food systems across East Africa and creating green jobs for women and youth.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of FINCA.
Media Contact:
Aeriel Emig
Director, Strategic Engagement and Communications, FINCA
aeriel.emig@finca.org
About FINCA:
FINCA is an international organization committed to creating pathways out of poverty through sustainable, scalable solutions rooted in the needs of the people it serves. With a presence in more than 45 countries, FINCA provides innovative tools that help individuals and communities build resilience, generate income, and invest in their children’s education. FINCA’s work is driven by the belief that all people should have the opportunity to leverage their wisdom, talent, and effort to determine their own destiny, and aims to directly serve and support 40 million people by 2028 with proven solutions that spark lasting impact. Learn more at https://FINCA.org/.
About FINCA Ventures:
FINCA Ventures is a pilot impact venture fund launched in 2018, leveraging FINCA’s balance sheet and local networks to invest in early-stage businesses solving challenges faced by communities across Sub-Saharan Africa. Learn more at https://FINCAVentures.
