Join a growing community of innovative African founders and take your startup to the next level.
The MEST Africa Challenge (MAC) 2025, led by MEST Africa and powered by Absa, is a premier Pan-African pitch competition for early-stage tech startups. It offers a platform to scale through equity funding, strategic networks, and global exposure.
Finalists will pitch live to a room full of leading investors, corporates, and ecosystem players. The winning startup stands to gain several benefits, including $50,000 in equity, entry into the prestigious MEST Portfolio, the opportunity to explore commercial pilots with Absa, and access to a range of exclusive partner opportunities.
Competition timelines
- Applications open 4 August 2025
- Applications close 26 September 2025
- Top 20 participants announced on 10 October 2025
- Virtual semi-finals in the week of 27 October 2025
- In-person finals in Cape Town, South Africa in the week of 24 November 2025
Sector focus
The sector focus is on Fintech and other value chains. Solutions may include:
- Smart credit and alternative-lending
- Fraud and trust tech
- Personalised money OS
- Offline-friendly rails
- Next-gen payments and wallets
- Investment gateways
- Agri-tech engines
- Financial literacy re-imagined
- Omnichannel CX and super-apps
- Trade and cross-border boosters
- Product-landing platforms
- Value-add service layers
- Integration orchestrators
- Micro and on-demand insurtech
Eligibility criteria
- Early to growth-stage startups (less than 3 years in operation)
- Monthly recurring revenue (MRR) of at least US $5,000 with at least 6 months of recurring revenue
- Cumulative funding raised must be US $1 million or less
- Must be operating in at least one of the following key markets:
-Botswana
-Uganda
-Mauritius
-Seychelles
-Kenya
-Mozambique
-Zambia
-Ghana - Minimum of two co-founders or founding team members
- Must be able to pitch in English
- Registered as a Delaware C-corp or in a neutral jurisdiction
