Two Nigerian startups RiceAfrika Technologies and Wicrypt have emerged winners in different categories at the 2023 Rocket Fuel Pitch Competition with a total of $300,000 cash reward.
The competition took place at the 2nd edition of the LEAP Technology Exhibition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
RiceAfrika Technologies, a tech-driven agric optimization startup emerged as the global best in the Tech for Humanity Award category and got 150,000 dollars.
The second startup, Wicrypt, an innovative startup decentralizing the internet globally, also won 150,000 dollars after it was announced as the global best in the ‘Into New World Award’ category.
According to the organizers of the competition, over 10,000 startups submitted applications from different countries.
- After rigorous scrutiny, the applicants were down to 220, and only 90 startups were selected to pitch their business ideas in the semi-final.
- Eight Nigerian startups participated in the semi-final, and three reached the final stage, out of which 2 emerged as winners.
LEAP23 held from February 6-9, 2023 at the Riyadh Front Exhibition and Conference Centre and hosted the inaugural LEAP Rocket Fuel Startup Pitch Challenge, powered by Saudi Arabia’s National Technology Development Programme (NTDP).
The initiative is a collaboration between the Kingdom’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), the MiSK Foundation, and NTDP.
