Announcing the Africa Deep Tech Challenge 2025 Finalists! Join Us for the Grand Finale Pitch Day!
The Africa Deep Tech Foundation is thrilled to announce the eight groundbreaking finalists of the Africa Deep Tech Challenge 2025! This milestone marks a significant step in our mission to spotlight and empower African innovators who are building breakthrough technology designed to thrive under resource constraints.
Launched on May 14, 2025, the challenge set out to identify and support some of Africa’s most promising innovators. The core theme, "Resource-Constrained Computing," has inspired participants to develop solutions that optimize computational tasks despite limitations in power, memory, and processing capabilities. From building AI models on edge devices to designing offline-first systems and developing energy-efficient tech, these innovators are rethinking what's possible when constraints inspire creativity.
Our Journey So Far: A Recap of Innovation
The Africa Deep Tech Challenge 2025 has seen an incredible response from across the continent and beyond:
• Over 2,863 registered participants from more than 14 countries joined the challenge.
• We received 421 total submissions, with 350 vetted for quality, showcasing Africa's immense deep tech talent.
• To guide participants, we hosted 5 bi-weekly Info Sessions and shared over 100 technical resources, alongside providing a dedicated Telegram channel for support.
• Our efforts were bolstered by collaboration with over 13 partners and the enlistment of 14 accomplished mentors who provided guidance and insights to the semifinalists.
• This rigorous process led to the selection of 16 semifinalists, culminating in the selection of our 8 exceptional finalists.
Meet the Africa Deep Tech Challenge 2025 Finalists!
We are proud to present (in no particular order) the eight finalists who have showcased remarkable ingenuity in tackling real-world problems with resource-constrained computing solutions:
Muscle: Digitizes African small retail operations.
Edge Vendr - Snooker Billiard Ticketing Control System: Automates snooker tables, enables cashless play.
Project FarmSpeak: Empowers farmers with smart tools.
METAL: Offline, contactless, low-cost payments.
Heard: Speech-to-text HUD for the deaf.
PERWER: Tracks and manages energy usage.
Cure Bionics: Bionic prosthetics for amputees.
FieldEdge FL: Trains crop recommendation models.
You can also quickly review all the semifinalists using this YouTube playlist. Each video is about 2 minutes long.
What's Next? Join Us for the Final Pitch Day!
These incredible finalists are now preparing to present their solutions at the highly anticipated Final Pitch Day. They are vying for a share of $20,000 in equity-free grants, along with tailored mentorship and direct access to an investment pipeline. Prizes include $8,000 for first place, $5,000 for second place, and $3,000 for third place, each including mentorship, investor access, media exposure, and post-challenge support. Additionally, there's a $4,000 IHS Challenge Prize specifically for innovative solutions in power management.
This is your chance to witness the future of African deep tech unfold and celebrate these pioneering innovators!
Event Details:
• What: Africa Deep Tech Challenge 2025 Final Pitch Day!
• When: September 13, 2025, at 2 PM UTC (7 AM PT)
• Where: Online via Zoom Webinar
Don't miss out! Come and see the finalists from across Africa pitch for a chance to win and be part of a celebration of frontier tech on the continent. You also have the opportunity to vote for the winner of the audience choice award!
👉 Register Now: https://bit.ly/adtc-2025-pitch
You can also explore the impressive submissions gallery here: https://bit.ly/adtc-2025-gallery. A full list of finalists will be published on Devpost and bit.ly/adtc-2025.
Join us in supporting these innovators as they drive deep tech advancements and build solutions that will shape Africa's digital future.