And the Winner is…
After 15 exciting pitches and demanding questions by the high level jury, a very difficult choice had to be made to select the three winners of the Fincluders Startup Challenge prizes. Out of the all round excellent field of contenders the following startups were awarded prizes at the thrilling award-ceremony.
The main sponsor of the event, the SANAD Fund for MSME’s Technical Assistance Facility, congratulates the winners of the pitching competition and expresses its gratitude to everyone who contributed in making the Fincluders Event such a success.
First Prize
Ghana-based AgroCenta is the winner of the Fincluders Startup Challenge Amman and the corresponding cash prize of USD 20,000. The trophy was handed over by Dr. Daniela Beckmann, Chairperson of the Board of the SANAD Fund for MSME.
Agrocenta impressed the jury with a complete concept of providing an online trade hub connecting farmers and buyers, real-time payments with mobile money technologies, and on-demand logistics service.
Company page: AgroCenta
Sponsored by: SANAD Technical Assistance Facility
Second Prize
Second place and the cash award of USD 10,000 went to liwwa, the first marketplace lender to SME’s in Jordan. liwwa serves borrowers with a fast application process, quick loan decisions and competitive loan rates.
By addressing the capital access problem faced by many SME’s in the region, liwwa is a business truly in line with the mission of the SANAD Fund. The second place trophy was handed over by Ines Ebrecht, Chair of the SANAD Technical Assistance Facility Committee.
Company Page: liwwa
Sponsored by: SANAD Technical Assistance Facility
Co-Founder and CEO of liwwa Ahmed Moor and SANAD Technical Assistance Committee Chair Ines Ebrecht
Honorable Mention & Special Prize
Third place and its cash award of USD 5,000 went to UAE-based Democrance, a micro-insurance provider for low-income populations. The prize was sponsored by ZAIN, the leading mobile and data services provider in MENA. The trophy was presented by ZAIN Jordan CEO Ahmed Hanandeh. Democrance’s mission of making insurance accessible and affordable for the lower-income population through the power of modern technology convinced the jury in nominating this promising fintech as the third startup on the winners’ podium. Company page: Democrance Sponsored by: ZAIN Jordan
Honorable Mention & Special Prize
Honorable mention went to Ghanaian fintech BenBen for its innovative and inclusive solution to provide fast and easy access to blockchain-secured land transactions.
The honorable mention came along with a special prize: an exposure visit to one country of the SANAD target region to explore futher applicability.
Company Page: BenBen
Sponsored by: SANAD Technical Assistance Facility
BenBen COO Daniel Bloch (centre)
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