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Patterns designed by Diarrablu
2020 Top10 Finalist
INTRODUCTION
The 2023 ABH Competition application period ran from the 3rd of March to the 17th of May 2023. The application launched virtually and was followed by a ‘Meet the Heroes’ roadshow, where ABH Heroes helped host 12 physical information sessions across the continent to help support applicants on their ABH journey.

The call for applications also went out via social media, TV, radio, and via our ABH Partner network. We actively worked with our anchor partners: Afrilabs, RiseUp, SAIS, The Room, and VC4A as well as our channel partners: AfterSchoolAfrica, African Management Institute, Aiivon, Anzisha, Bishara Africa, Briter Bridges, Circular Design Hub, Disrupt Africa, Entlaq, ESP, Hapa Space, Haskè Ventures, Impact Lab, Maio Business Center, Moroccan Center for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MCISE), MEST, Mzuzu Entrepreneur Hub, Pariti, redHub, Seedstars, Social Entreprise Ethiopia, Ventures Park, and Yeesa Agrihub among others to promote additional awareness around the ABH Competition.
ABH 2023 ANCHOR PARTNERS
Thanks to the combined effort of all our partners, our 2023 call for applications saw a record high ~27,000 applications submitted via the Africa’s Business Heroes online portal.
KEY STATS
27,267
Applications received
54
African countries represented
27%
French applications
34%
Female applicants
2023 SELECTION PROCESS
Once applications closed, all applications underwent a rigorous review and selection process:
Round 1 - Online Application Review
Between the 1st of June, and the 16th of June 2023, all eligible submitted applications were reviewed by over 280 ABH Round 1 Judges who comprised of business professionals, entrepreneurs, and investors. Utilizing ABH’s criteria and scoring matrix, each application was independently reviewed by three ABH Round 1 Judges. Based on the average scores of all applicants, the Top 50 Finalists were shortlisted.
Round 2 - Video Call Interviews
Between the 6th of July, and the 20th of July 2023, the Top 50 finalists each had a 1.5-hour deep-dive video call interview with three Round 2 Judges - senior executives, investors/VCs, and successful business professionals - who evaluated their business robustness, and impact. The Top 20 finalists were identified based on their Round 2 ranking. These finalists then underwent a rigorous due diligence process conducted by PwC before the Top 20 finalists progressed to the next round.
Round 3 - Semi-final Pitches
On the 1st and 2nd of September 2023, our Top 20 heroes traveled to Kigali, Rwanda to pitch our illustrious panel of Judges. For the first time in ABH history, these pitches were open to an audience of more than 250 students, business professionals, and media. Our panel of judges comprised of Fred Swankier – Founder of Sand Technologies, Hasan Haider – Founder and Managing Partner of Plus VC, Ken Njoroge – Co-founder and Director of Cellulant, and Rene Parker – Director of RLbas. After careful deliberation, our judges identified our Top 10 Heroes who progressed to the Grand Finale.
Final Round - The Grand Finale
On the 24th of November 2023, our Top 10 Heroes gathered in Kigali, Rwanda to pitch our illustrious panel of business legends Dr Diane Karusisi – CEO of Bank of Kigali, Ibukun Awosika - Founder of the Chair Center Group, and Joe Tsai - Chairman of Alibaba Group. The finalists took to our largest stage to date and delivered their pitches on an incredible augmented reality stage. After the first round of pitches, our judges narrowed it down to our Top 3 who then moved on to a round table discussion with our judges. During the round table, our judges got to understand the founder better and after careful deliberation, the judges crowned our 2023 winner, Ikpeme Neto of WellaHealth Technologies.
WATCH A VIDEO RECAP OF THE MOST EXCITING MOMENTS OF THE 2023 GRAND FINALE:
2023 ABH TRAINING PROGRAMS
ABH aims to be more than a competition, it is a platform that empowers its community of entrepreneurs with the tools they need to grow their businesses, collaborate, and inspire other like-minded entrepreneurs across the continent. At each stage of the competition, our finalists are given access to training programs and the opportunity to engage with industry experts, venture capitalist, and their fellow entrepreneurs.
Bootcamps
Both the Top 50 and the Top 20 Heroes were invited to join interactive and informative ABH Bootcamps where they were allowed to network with their fellow heroes, learn from ABH partners, and interact with ABH Judges and former finalists. A partner training session was presented by APO Group to prepare our finalists for the media exposure they gain through the competition.
1-on-1 Coaching:
Our Top 10 Heroes were given the opportunity to receive 1-on-1 coaching with one of our semi-final judges ahead of their Top 10 pitch. During these coaching sessions, our finalists were able to refine their pitches and prepare themselves for their Top 10 pitches.
Scale Up Program
The ABH ScaleUp Program was a quarterly event where carefully selected ABH Heroes various backgrounds came together to give an informative Master Class on a pressing topic relevant to entrepreneurs across the continent, curated to share invaluable knowledge and advice that can benefit our community. Topics included expansion, raising investment, building company culture, surviving tough conditions, fundraising for social enterprises, different stages of start-up fundraising, impact measurement for start-ups, and leveraging technology to innovate.
In addition to this, we’ve connected our Heroes with various mentors, business professionals, and venture capital firms with more connections to come!
OUR 2023 TOP 10 HEROES & PRIZE DISTRIBUTION
Our 2023 Top 10 Heroes came from 9 countries, spanned 8 industries, and were 30% female. They are:
1
st
PRIZE
WINNER
Ikpeme Neto
Founder & CEO of WellaHealth Technologies
$300,000
2
nd
PRIZE
WINNER
Thomas Njeru
Co-founder & CEO, Pula Advisors
$250,000
3
rd
PRIZE
WINNER
Ayman Bazaara
Co-founder & CEO of Sprints
$150,000
OTHER FINALISTS
Albert Munyabugingo
Founder & CEO of Vuba Vuba Africa LTD
Bola Bardet
Co-founder & CEO of Susu
Christina Gyisun
Founder & CEO of Sommalife Limited
Ismael Belkhayat
Co-founder & CEO of Chari
Mohamed Ali
Founder & CEO of PowerLock
Nthabiseng Mosia
Co-founder & CEO of Easy Solar
Theo Baloyi
Founder & CEO of Bathu
All other finalists received $100,000