NAIROBI
Twenty entrepreneurs from 12 African countries competed in Nairobi for spots in Africa’s Business Heroes 2026 Top 10, pitching businesses spanning health care, energy, manufacturing, agriculture and climate technology.
The entrepreneurs pitched on Aug. 21 and 22 as they sought to advance to the competition’s grand finale in Kigali, Rwanda, in December. Four Kenyan founders were among the semifinalists.
The 20 entrepreneurs were selected from more than 24,000 applications submitted across all 54 African countries. Their businesses generated about $85 million in combined revenue in 2025 and operate across 11 sectors, including agritech, health care, renewable energy, manufacturing and climate technology.
The Nairobi event marked the return of the ABH semifinal to the Kenyan capital, which hosted the competition’s first semifinal in 2019.
The entrepreneurs took part in interviews before three-person judging panels, with judges assessing leadership, innovation, impact, scalability and commercial strength. The selection process also included company visits and due diligence conducted by PlusVC.
Four Kenyan entrepreneurs were in contention: Ikechukwu Anoke of Zuri Health and Naom Monari of Bena Care, both in health technology; Joseph Mungai of AceleAfrica, in energy; and Louisa Gathecha of Bottle Logistics East Africa, in industrial climate technology.
Kome Oruade-Etim, global program manager for Acumen Angels and one of the competition’s judges, said the changing funding environment was pushing entrepreneurs to build commercially sustainable businesses.
ABH is a philanthropic initiative of Alibaba Philanthropy that provides $1.5 million in annual grant funding to African entrepreneurs, along with mentorship and access to business networks.
The Top 10 selected from the Nairobi semifinal represent eight African countries and will advance to the grand finale in Kigali in December.
Organizers said this year’s semifinal attracted a larger investor audience than previous editions, giving the entrepreneurs more opportunities to engage directly with funders and strategic partners from Africa and beyond.
