Winners have emerged at the Techpoint Awards 2021, which was held on January 23, 2022.
The Techpoint Editorial team also chose startups and VCs that had recorded impressive activities in the period under review.
Winners Of Techpoint Awards 2021
Categories judged by an independent panel
- Most Outstanding Financial Inclusion Company 2021: Paga
This award was given to the startup that had done the most to advance financial inclusion in the country.
Founded in 2009 by Tayo Oviosu and Jay Alabraba, Paga has been at the forefront of promoting financial inclusion in Nigeria.
- Most Outstanding Mobility & Logistics Company 2021: GIGL
Mobility and logistics are essential for the movement of goods and humans. This award was given to the startup that innovatively solves this problem.
GIG Logistics (GIGL), an arm of the GIG Group, builds products and services powering mobility and logistics in Nigeria.
- Most Outstanding Electronic Payments Company 2021: Flutterwave
This category, which is a subset of the fintech industry, was created for startups that have done the most to push Africa’s payments infrastructure into the future.
Flutterwave caps off an eventful year as winners, following it up with their unicorn milestone achieved in 2021.
- Most Outstanding Education Company 2021: uLesson
Founded in 2019, uLesson provides educational lessons for secondary schools in West Africa. It is also one of the few edtech startups to have raised significant figures from investors, raising over $25 million since its launch.
- Most Outstanding Alternative Use of the Blockchain 2021: Xend Finance
Cryptocurrencies are not the only uses of blockchain technology. Therefore, this award was created to celebrate startups building solutions on the blockchain apart from cryptocurrency.
Xend Finance provides a way for users to save using decentralised finance. Last year, the startup raised $2.2 million from investors such as Binance and Google Launchpad, among others.
- Most Outstanding Healthtech Company 2021: 54gene
This award was given to the startup doing the most in the healthcare industry.
For its work in genomics, 54gene clinched this award. Towards the end of 2021, it announced the launch of 7RiverLabs, its on-demand diagnostics solution.
- Most Outstanding Marketplace Company: Arteasy Nigeria
This award was presented to the startup providing an easy way for Nigerians to buy and sell online.
Arteasy provides a way for Nigerians to buy and sell art supplies.
- Most Outstanding Agritech Company 2021: Releaf
After graduating from Ivy League institutions, Ikenna Nzewi and Uzoma Ayogu returned to Nigeria to build Releaf. After several iterations, the company now produces proprietary hardware and software solutions for their users.
- Newbie of the Year 2021: Thepeer
New startups are founded every year, and many of them fly under the radar while others fail. This category featured startups founded in 2021.
Backed by Flutterwave, this startup is building the infrastructure that enables companies to interact seamlessly with each other.
Editorial Choice Awards (Techpoint Africa’s editorial team picked the winners in this category)
- Startup of the Year 2021: PiggyVest
Piggyvest provides an easy way to save and invest with just a smartphone to its over 2 million users. Built in response to a tweet, the startup reported that it paid over ₦242 billion (~$589 million) to its users in 2021 alone.
- VC of the Year 2021: Ingressive Capital
Venture capitalists are essential to the success of the tech ecosystem providing money, valuable networks, and support to the entrepreneurs.
Ingressive Capital was founded by Maya Horgan Famodu in 2017 and has backed over 25 startups including Paystack, Bamboo, SeamlessHR, Cova, and Payday.
Audience Choice Awards (the winners of these awards were decided by votes from the audience)
- Tech Influencer of the Year 2021: Fisayo Fosudo
Influencers can sway the decisions of their audience who trust them as a result of their experience or expertise.
Fisayo Fosudo was the winner of this category. Fosudo is a visual storyteller and tech YouTuber who has worked with some notable brands in the country including First Bank of Nigeria.
