The NewSpace Africa Startup Pitch Competition is an opportunity for African early-stage NewSpace startups whose innovations are ready for the market or already making a difference in the market to pitch their business to key stakeholders in the industry, including investors and potentially raise funding. Sequel to the call for entries for the pitch competition, the organising committee received 14 applications from startup companies across four African regions. The criteria used for judging this round include the pitch deck, the team composition, product and services, business model, competitive positioning, and tractions. After reviewing applications from these 14 companies, the judges have selected five (5) finalists that will compete in the live event during the NewSpace Africa Conference 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya. 

Here are the five finalists:

• Aerospace Insights

Aerospace Insights intends to leverage aerospace technologies to develop solutions and products to increase the productivity of small-holder farmers and fishers in Kenya and other Eastern African countries. 

• SATLYT Space Industries 

This company is developing SATLYT, a space cloud analytics platform that transforms data and images from smallsats into usable and valuable data for decision-makers across Africa.

• SayariLabs Limited

SayariLabs aims to leverage the imageries from the EO satellite to develop products and solutions to help the government (and other decision-makers) manage forestry and agricultural sectors effectively. Also, the company announced that its first satellite, TAIFA-1 (“one nation” in Swahili), would be launched into orbit by Q1 2023.

• CosmoLAb Hub 

CosmoLAb Hub aims to demystify space and reduce the knowledge gap in the Benin Republic. In addition, this company hopes to develop innovative solutions to increase the youth’s participation in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics).

• Ignitos Space 

Ignitos aims to democratise satellite and EO data to improve economies, specifically by leveraging big data to target the agriculture industry in Zambia. Ignitos intends to develop and launch a 6U satellite (in 2023) that will fly African sensors and components and be uniquely designed for Zambia and Southern Africa.

The winning team will receive a non-equity grant of USD 2,500 and the attention of the international press and key stakeholders in the industry. In addition, all finalists will receive a free registration pass to the NewSpace Africa Conference, access to business coaching and a pool of investors and a promotional feature on Space in Africa.