Space in Africa has announced the winner of its NewSpace Africa Startup Pitch Competition, with Ignitos Space Zambia emerging as the winner. Ignitos Space Zambia was one of five finalists that competed at the finals held during Space in Africa’s maiden NewSpace Africa Conference 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya. As a result, the team won a non-equity grant of USD 2,500 and the attention of the international press and key stakeholders in the industry.

Ignitos aims to democratise satellite and EO data to improve economies, specifically by leveraging big data to target the agriculture industry in Zambia. The startup 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.

Ignitos representative and Chairman, Siddhartha Parmer received the award from the Director-General of the Kenya Space Agency, Colonel Hillary Biwott Kipkosgey.

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 included the pitch deck, the team composition, product and services, business model, competitive positioning, and tractions.

After reviewing applications from these 14 companies, the judges selected five finalists that subsequently competed in the live event during the NewSpace Africa Conference 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya.

The 2022 NewSpace Africa Conference featured discussions highlighting the experiences and uptake of space innovation, technologies, and applications among different stakeholders [government agencies, commercial companies and academia]. Furthermore, the event consisted of high-level segments of keynote speeches, interactive sessions, panel discussions, B2B matchmaking, B2C matchmaking and unique networking opportunities.