In a landmark celebration of innovation, resilience, and digital transformation, Verto has officially announced the winners of the inaugural Verto Awards 2025, honouring the most promising early-stage startups shaping Africa’s fintech, agritech, healthtech, and digital commerce landscape. The awards, which culminated in a vibrant gala event in Nairobi and Lagos, awarded USD30,000 in total prize money to 6 standout ventures selected for their ingenuity, impact, and potential for global scalability. The finalists were drawn from a highly competitive pool of applicants from Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.
The winners for Nigeria were announced at a vibrant awards ceremony held in Lagos on Friday, 21 November and attended by industry leaders, ecosystem partners, media representatives, and members of the Nigerian startup community.
Presented with USD 10,000, USD 3,000, and USD 2,000 respectively to accelerate their global expansion and streamline their cross-border operations, the winners are:
Dingpay, a Nigerian fintech startup building an “offline-first” digital wallet that unifies bank cards, identity docs, tickets, and payments
Aquatrack, a Nigerian agritech startup that provides an AI-powered farm management platform for fish farmers
Growwr, a Nigerian AI-driven work platform that helps businesses hire, manage, and pay pre-verified African tech talent quickly and securely
The finalists were carefully evaluated on innovation, feasibility, scalability, and market impact by a distinguished judging panel comprising Dotun Adekunle, COO/CTO of OPay; Ime Enang, CEO of The Conversationalist Limited; Omotayo Idowu, Group Head (Commerce & SME) of Providus Bank; Soibi Ovia, Partner at DAO Law; and Austin Okpagu, Country Manager, Verto Nigeria.
The finalists showcased strong market traction, innovative business models, and potential for scalable, sustainable impact. Speaking at the ceremony, Ola Oyetayo, Co-founder and CEO of Verto, said, “This inaugural edition of the Verto Award has revealed just how much innovation, resilience, and global ambition exists within Africa’s early-stage startup ecosystem. The calibre of founders we’ve seen this year has been exceptional. As these businesses grow, expand, and strengthen international ties, we remain committed to providing the financial infrastructure that helps turn their global ambitions into reality.”
At the Kenya awards ceremony held on 27th November 2025 at Villa Rosa Kempiski Hotel, Nairobi, the winners were:
Grofunder Africa Ltd, a peer-to-peer agri-financing platform enabling investment in smallholder commercial farmers, was crowned overall winner, taking home the grand prize of USD 10,000.
Train Your Brain (TYB), a tech-enabled mental health platform offering accessible therapy services across Africa, secured the 2nd position with USD 3,000.
Green Voyage, a climate-tech startup enabling organisations to manage, verify, and monetise carbon offset projects, secured the 3rd position with USD 2,000.
Commenting on this win, Kelvin Dol, CEO of Grofunder Africa Ltd, expressed gratitude for the recognition. “This award is a powerful validation of our mission to bridge the financing gap for smallholder commercial farmers. At Grofunder, we believe agriculture can fuel Africa’s economic transformation when farmers are empowered with the right financial tools. The support from Verto helps accelerate that vision and brings us one step closer to creating a thriving, inclusive agricultural ecosystem.”
A panel of leading investors and digital economy experts judged the startups based on innovation, demonstrated need, sustainability, scalability, and social impact. “Every finalist demonstrated remarkable ambition and technical clarity, making the judging process both exciting and extremely competitive,” says Arthur Chupeau, Managing Partner, Baobab Network and a member of the judging panel. “The impact-driven mindset we have seen exactly what will drive the next wave of transformative African businesses.”
Through the Verto Global Business Award, the company continues to champion Africa’s emerging startups, supporting their growth, innovation, and international expansion.
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