Optimalogistic seleted as the Best scaling African Startup by SCIP

A total of 22 start-ups that focus on smart cities innovations showcased their achievements and investment readiness on 20 June 2022 during a virtual Demo Day. All start-ups had successfully completed the Smart Cities Innovation Programme – a nine-months-long accelerator programme supported by the German and Rwandan governments.

Green mobility in African capitals, solar-powered cooling technology, or micro-banking services for low-income households – these are just three examples of how African innovation can benefit the smart urban future and citizen of the continent. The start-ups that participated in the Smart Cities Innovation Programme (SCIP) have been pushing such innovations for a greener and more equitable future in African cities. As part of the programme, smart cities start-ups participated in online and offline training and exchanges – meeting physically for a week-long bootcamp in Kigali, a pilot city for smart innovation – and received continuous in-depth coaching and mentoring to further grow their business and polish up their products and services. They collaborated with key partners from the public and private sector, including big names such as Amazon Web Services, Siemens, Volkswagen, the University of Rwanda and many more. Now, after completing the programme, they showcased their achievements and investment readiness in a finale Demo Day.

During SCIP’ Demo Day, investors, corporates, entrepreneurship support organisations and fellow start-ups got an opportunity to meet and greet with the founders that participated in the programme. The audience included, beyond core partners, big names such as ATOS, DB Schenker, Anza Capital, Angaza Capital, BiD, Viktoria Ventures, VBAN Angel Network, East Africa Investments, Goodwell Investments, Bestseller Foundation, Wellspring Foundation. The over 100 attendees were welcomed by Permanent Secretary of the Rwandan Ministry of ICT and Innovation, Yves Iradukunda, whose organisation has been supporting SCIP from the start, welcoming start-ups from across the continent to Rwanda. 

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