By Aoma Keziah,
Jacob’s Ladder Africa, a continental non-governmental organisation that is advancing green solutions, climate innovation, and sustainability pathways through a youth-centric approach, hosted its Demo Day in Nairobi, celebrating climate solutions by emerging green entrepreneurs from across East Africa. The event, a culmination of the Powering Food Systems Innovation Challenge, spotlighted the innovations of young entrepreneurs dedicated to addressing urgent environmental challenges, particularly in food systems and renewable energy.
The event marked the end of an intense incubation program where participants worked to develop solutions that can revolutionize food systems through renewable energy. These solutions ranged from energy efficient farming techniques to sustainable food processing, transport, and waste reduction powered by renewable energy.
Finalists representing counties from across Kenya, including Baringo, Busia, Homa Bay, and Nairobi, presented their innovative ideas aimed at building sustainable, resilient food systems. The startups benefitted from mentorship, capacity-building sessions, and rigorous preparation leading up to the Demo Day, which helped them refine their pitches and fine-tune their solutions.
Karen Chelang’at, Chief Innovation Officer at Jacob’s Ladder Africa, emphasized the importance of supporting youth led ventures in addressing climate challenges.
“Youth unemployment is an issue that Jacob’s Ladder Africa seeks to address by empowering the youth through our incubation program. We aim to curb start-up mortality by providing the skills, resources, and mentorship needed to help these entrepreneurs succeed.” She explained.
The Demo Day showcased several innovative solutions, including Solar Compost IT, an in-vessel composting machine that converts organic waste into valuable compost, bio-fertilizer, and pellets while reducing methane emissions; NuRa, a renewable energy system that uses concentrated solar power to generate steam for large-scale kitchens; Smart Hive Optimization, an IoT-based solar-powered system for monitoring hive conditions; and TEAtrans, a solar-powered ventilated container that ensures the freshness of tea leaves after harvesting.
The finalists’ solutions were evaluated by a panel of expert judges, including Luiza Munyua, Senior Scientific Officer at the African Union, Omondi Kasidhi of Yara International, Mutembei Kariuki of Fastagger, and several other industry leaders. The judging criteria focused on the scalability, sustainability, and potential impact of the innovations on food security, the environment, and the empowerment of women and youth.
The Demo Day concluded with an award ceremony, where the top innovators were recognized for their work. Bettinah Maruti of iLoop KE and Logistics took third place for her solution addressing food spoilage and storage challenges in low-income areas. Second place went to Alfred Mutethia, Steven Mwaura, and Victor Gituma of Solar Nest, whose poultry farming solution uses advanced solar tracking technology. The grand prize of Ksh 200,000 was awarded to Urbanus Lubano from Empire Innovations for his renewable energy-powered machinery designed to support sustainable agriculture.
In addition to the monetary awards, all finalists earned full sponsorship for Jacob’s Ladder Africa’s nine-month GreenLabs incubation program. This program offers green entrepreneurship training, tailored mentorship, and networking opportunities, providing participants with the tools and support necessary to turn their ideas into successful ventures.
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