Latitude59 Kenya Edition 2023

The very first global satellite event of Latitude59

On December 6, 2023 at the Sarit Expo Centre, Nairobi

Opening doors to East Africa & connecting the international tech community

Latitude59 Kenya Edition – the first official satellite event of Latitude59 – took place in December 2023 in Nairobi. The conference gathered almost 700 participants, including the highest number of Baltic and Nordic people known to gather in one place in Kenya! 

Latitude59 Kenya Edition 2023 was even bigger and more successful than we dared to hope. And this just the beginning of our bigger vision of building a Global Village, bringing diverse communities together to make the tech world more human. Working on another continent was a new challenge for our team, but it was an amazing experience, well worth it, and we are so proud of what we put together.

 Liisi Org, the CEO of Latitude59

The official aftermovie of 2023

Building the vision of a global tech village

We're residents of a Global Village

East Africa on the rise

700+ attendees, shaping the world as we know it

Building bridges & uniting stakeholders

Latitude59 Kenya Edition is a platform for local founders to find valuable connections, discuss innovation, and overcome obstacles with the support and know-how of the global community. We’ll build bridges & import the know-how of global industry experts to increase sustainability & competitiveness of the local market, workforce & business environment. 

20+ speakers & a Pitch Competition with Africa's fast-rising startups

The program of L59 Kenya Edition

Play Video

The Program

The main program of Latitude59 Kenya Edition will take place on December 6 at the Sarit Expo Centre. Our speakers will focus on the latest trends, use cases & predictions for digital accessibility, building communities, online services, climatetech, sustainability & more.

Watch the program. Meet the speakers.

The topics of Latitude59 Kenya Edition 2023 focused on tech trends, use cases & predictions for digital accessibility, building communities, online services, climatetech, sustainability & more.

Kenya Caleb

CALEB MARU
Founder at Tech Safari &
Host of L59 Kenya Edition

Kenya Speaker Michael

MICHAEL LAWAL
Head of Growth in Africa
at Aufort 

Kenya Speaker Yuki

YUKI OUCHI
Head of SMB
at ShipShap

Kenya Speaker Nick

NICK JOSHI
CEO
at Leta

Kenya Speaker Chidi

CHIDI AFULEZI
Managing Principal
at
redKola digital labs

Kenya Speaker Üllar

ÜLLAR JAAKSOO
Co-Founder and Partner
at Digital Nation

Kenya Speaker Lewam

LEWAM KEFELA
Principal
at Partech Africa

Kenya Speaker Eerik

EERIK OJA
CEO
at Planet42

Kenya Speaker Thea

THEA SOKOLOWSKI
Co-Founder of Women Who Build Africa; Head of Marketing & Communications at Stitch

Kenya Speaker Jacob

YACOB BERHANE
Co-Founder & CEO
at Pariti

Kenya Speaker Lisa

LISA ILLINGWORTH
Commercial Director
at Raise

Kenya Speaker Kristjan

KRISTJAN RAUDE
CEO & Co-Founder
at 1MTN

Kenya Speaker Boriss

BORISS GUBAIDULIN
Director for the African Region at Admirals

Kenya Speaker Andreata

ANDREATA MUFORO
Partner
at TLcom Capital

Kenya Speaker Erick

ERICK ASUMA
Co-Founder 
at Kenyan Wall Street 

Kenya Speaker Liisi

LIISI ORG
CEO
at Latitude59

Kenya Speaker Nikola

NIKOLA PAVESIC
Director of Startups
at Infobip

Kenya Speaker Felix

FELIX MAGAJU
Director Client Services 
at Kenya Climate Innovation Center

Kenya Speaker Hesbon

HESBON KIPTOO
Leading Delivery of
Financial Services (MPESA)
at Safaricom PLC

Kenya Speaker Kenneth

KENNETH MUHANGI
Partner
at KTA Advocates

Kenya Speaker Johannes

JOHANNES VÕHMA
Head of Motorcycle Financing
at MOGO

Kenya Speaker Rubin

RUBIN MUKKAM-OWUOR
CEO
of Brass Kenya

Kenya Speaker Akshay

AKSHAY GROVER
CEO
of Cellulant

Kenya Speaker Yvonne

YVONNE OKAFOR
Co-Founder
at A+A Collective

Kenya Speaker Joel

JOEL KARUBIU
Export Advisor
at Estonia Business and Innovation Agency

Kenya Speaker Reet

REET AUS
Founding Partner
at Aus Design and Upmade; Senior researcher
at Estonian Academy of Arts

Kenya Speaker Isidoor

ISIDOOR MALJERS
Co-Founder
at eBee

Kenya Speaker Thomas

THOMAS KIPKURGAT
CEO
of Rivatex East Africa

Kenya Speaker Julius

JULIUS BUTIME
Dean
at Strathmore University

Kenya Speaker Romanus

ROMANUS OPIYU
Programme Leader
at SEI Africa

Kenya Speaker Dario

DARIO GIULIANI
Director
at Briter

Kenya Speaker Towett

TOWETT NGETICH
Portfolio Associate
at Founders Factory Africa

Kenya Speaker Daisy

DAISY ISIAHO
Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer at Zuri Health

Kenya Speaker Mike

MIKE OTIENO
Co-Founder and President
at Wowzi

POWERED BY STARTUP WISE GUYS:

L59 Startup Pitch Competition at Latitude59 Kenya Edition 2023

In 2023, Latitude59 & Startup Wise Guys joined forces to organize a L59 Pitch Competition in Kenya! The announcement attracted over 100 applications from early-stage startups from all around Africa. Just 20% of them were selected to pitch at the prefinals, taking place during Latitude59 Kenya Edition at the Sarit Expo Centre in Nairobi on December 6, 2023! 

It's time to scale & grow global!

What are we looking for in a startup?

  • Actively fundraising – you are ready to raise a round / set a valuation
  • Business model – you are in the field of B2B
  • Proven traction – you have an existing MVP that’s bringing (at least some) revenue
  • Location – he core team is based in Kenya or East Africa

Show the jury what you've got!

A prize pool that opens doors

  •  
We’re glad to see that so many of our partners have added to the prize pool – don’t miss out on the perks! Most importantly – are you the one we’ll fly over to Tallinn in May 2024 to join us for the Pitch Competition of Latitude59 2024, in person?

The prize pool of the competition in 2023

    • Pitch in front of a live audience of 500 people & wow the international jury of startup experts & fund managers.
    • Fast track to the semi-finals (the TOP 40) of the Latitude59 2024 Pitch Competition in Tallinn (May 22-24, 2024). This includes a trip to Estonia, paid by Latitude59 (flights & 2 nights accommodation + Latitude59 tickets) for 1 founder!
    • A spot in Startup Wise Guys’ next Africa program (the TOP 5 accelerator in Europe) with an opportunity to be fast-tracked to an investment ticket of €100K.
    • Legal councelling by KTA Advocates.
    • Complimentary coworking membership packages to TOP 3 teams by Nairobi Garage.
    • Spurt Group will provide a 20% discount & a six-month complimentary subscription to Sync! to all applicants. In addition, they’re offering a bespoke people strategy session for the winner.
    • $20K in Infobip service credits.

Thank you to the official partners of Latitude59 Kenya Edition 2023

 
Ampersand
Arc Ride
European Union
Exante
Hindsight Ventures
House of genius
Kenyan Wall Street
la french tech
Mbuzi
Mogo
Nortal
Servercore
Shortlist
Spark
Startup Grind
Taltech
zuhura
1mtn
Admirals
Alliott Global Alliance
Amani IP
assek
Aufort
Blockchain Founder Fund
Bolt
Briter
Eesti Kaubandus ja tööstuskoda
Est Ministry of Foreign Affairs
ESTDEV
infobip
KTA
Miltton Events
Nairobi Garage
Planet42
The Future List
Reet Aus
SEI
Spurt!
Strathmore University
Tech Safari
Trade Estonia
Wise Guys
WWBA
 

Want to partner with us for the future editions? Contact our team at kenya@latitude59.ee.

Sarit Expo Centre is Westlands is Kenya’s leading events & exhibitions venue. Providing up to 3300m2 of potential conference space, it’s the perfect canvas for Latitude59’s vibrant startup & tech gathering in East Africa.

Click here to read about reaching the Sarit Expo Centre on foot, by car or from the airport (JKIA). 

About Latitude59

Latitude59 is the flagship tech and startup event of the world’s first digital society, Estonia. For over a decade, the conference has been the gathering place for the tight-knit, innovation-loving and tech-savvy community that’s bred the most unicorn startups in the world, per capita. Tech innovation has been – and is continuously being – integrated to all levels of our society.

Latitude59 2023 took place in Tallinn at the end of May, gathering over 3000 participants from over 60 countries. The conference broke records with the regionally unpredecented prize fund of €1,25M for the L59 Pitch Competition. On the verge of a new decade, the L59 platform also went through a total rebranding, launched its international vision (leading with a road-paving satellite event in Kenya!), and grew into one of the most international startup conferences in the region, with quality at its core.