Twenty entrepreneurs from twelve African countries will be giving pitches in Nairobi from August 21 to 22 in order to qualify for the grand finale of Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) — although this year’s judges are indicating a change in what will actually win.
Since it has become more difficult to obtain venture funding across the continent, the judges have stated that the standard has shifted from “does this solve a real problem” to “can this go on without a grant”. Kome Oruade-Etim of Acumen Angels said this directly: nowadays businesses have to combine social impact with solid fundamentals, not just one or the other. She also opposed top-down innovation, maintaining that the real criterion is whether entrepreneurs develop technology based on the way Africans currently live, rather than requiring communities to adjust to foreign models.
That pressure is reflected in the figures. The 20 semi-finalists, who had applied from over 24,000 applications, earned a total of $85 million in revenue in 2025, with their revenues covering the agritech, healthcare, renewable energy, fintech, and eight other sectors. Ten of them will move on to the grand finale in Kigali in December, where they will be competing for their share of the $1.5 million in annual grant funding offered by ABH.
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The views of previous competitors show the same change. Abraham Mutian of Kuza Point, who came second in 2025, advised this year’s group to focus on figures rather than on storytelling—something that involves knowing the business so well that they can make the financial argument without being asked. Wandia Gichuru from Vivo Fashion Group, who is also one of this year’s judges, stated that scale has now become a clear criterion: the judges want to see a plan that goes beyond the entrepreneur’s home market, not just a viable idea confined to it.
The Kenyan team, which consists of Zuri Health, Bena Care, AceleAfrica, and Bottle Logistics East Africa, takes part in the event in a city with a history of hosting the programme since Nairobi was the site of ABH’s very first semi-final in 2019.
