Denis Opudo
Taimba, a Kenyan based startup was among the three lucky winners who took home $10k from the just concluded 2018 Food+City Challenge Prize. For the first time, the competition was part of SXSW which motivates startups which deal in urban food system. Besides, the competition is an international event that attracts startups from all walks of life.
More than 100 applicants from 14 countries expressed their interest in the competition this year. In the final event, only 14 finalists were requested to pitch their food logistic solutions before the panel. The competition took place in Austin and the panel of judges gave their views about each project.
According to the organizers, they said that despite only three startups having been awarded, the value of competition depends on the network that participants made. Besides, the organizers said that the participants need to remain connected to the judges, investors, mentors, and peers. Moreover, the organizers said that they will keep in touch and check the progress that participants make and support them whenever needs arise.
In the long run, it emerged that Taimba, an agri-tech startup from Kenya qualified for the final price. Taimba also provides a cashless platform for business-to-business (B2B) to farmers and retailers. Therefore, the platform connects farmers to get agricultural products at pocket-friendly prices hence reducing time wastage.
Other two startups which received awards included UAV-IQ which provides remote sensing solutions and Aggressively Organic which designs agricultural systems. The two startups are both from the US.
