Kenya | Latitude59

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Latitude59 Kenya Edition

Be bold. Be the change. Build the world you want.

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

Latitude59 Kenya Edition is an official satellite event of Latitude59, opening doors to East Africa & connecting the international tech community.

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We're residents of a Global Village

Why Kenya?

With 50 million people, loads of ambition and fast-growing tech-savviness, Kenya has a lot of potential to become the next up-and-coming startup country on the global radar. The goal of this pioneering Latitude59 Satellite event is to support the growth, impact, and global recognition of the local startup ecosystem, tech talent, and business environment.

700+ attendees, shaping the world as we know it

Opening doors & 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

The one-day program will present panel discussions on burning topics relevant to Kenya’s growth as an internationally recognized startup ecosystem & global player. We’ll dive into the latest in AgriTech, Sustainability, FinTech, Community Building, Education, and more. PS. Don’t miss the Pitch Competition to witness the rise of the region’s most promissing startups.

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.

Speakers

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

MICHAEL LAWAL
Head of Growth in Africa
at Aufort

YUKI OUCHI
Head of SMB
at ShipShap

NICK JOSHI
CEO
at Leta

CHIDI AFULEZI
Managing Principal
at redKola digital labs

AZIZA INOUBLI
Research & Insights Lead
at Briter Bridges

LEWAM KEFELA
Principal
at Partech Africa

EERIK OJA
CEO
at Planet42

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

YACOB BERHANE
Co-Founder & CEO
at Pariti

LISA ILLINGWORTH
Commercial Director
at Raise

KRISTJAN RAUDE
CEO & Co-Founder
at 1MTN

BORISS GUBAIDULIN
Director for the African Region at Admirals

ANDREATA MUFORO
Partner
at TLcom Capital

ABEL BORETO
Associate Director
at Novastar Ventures

LIISI ORG
CEO
at Latitude59

NIKOLA PAVESIC
Director of Startups
at Infobip

CAROLINE WANJIHIA
Regional Director for Africa & International Markets at Bolt

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

KENNETH MUHANGI
Partner
at KTA Advocates

JOHANNES VÕHMA
Head of Motorcycle Financing
at MOGO

RUBIN MUKKAM-OWUOR
CEO
of Brass Kenya

AKSHAY GROVER
CEO
of Cellulant

YVONNE OKAFOR
Co-Founder
at A+A Collective

JOEL KARUBIU
Export Advisor
at Estonia Business and Innovation Agency

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

ISIDOOR MALJERS
Co-Founder
at eBee

THOMAS KIPKURGAT
CEO
of Rivatex East Africa

JULIUS BUTIME
Dean
at Strathmore University

ROMANUS OPIYU
Programme Leader
at SEI Africa

DARIO GIULIANI
Director
at Briter

ADELAIDE NJOKI MUTHANG’i
Investment Analyst
at Founders Factory Africa

ÜLLAR JAAKSOO
Co-Founder and Partner
at Digital Nation

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

MIKE OTIENO
Co-Founder and President
at Wowzi

ERICK ASUMA
Co-Founder
at Kenyan Wall Street

TOWETT NGETICH
Portfolio Associate
at Founders Factory Africa

FELIX MAGAJU
Director Client Services
at Kenya Climate Innovation Center

L59 Startup Pitch Competition

APPLICATION DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 23, 2023

Latitude59 & Startup Wise Guys are calling for early-stage startups from East Afria to join the L59 Pitch Competition in Kenya! The finals will take place on the stage during Latitude59 Kenya Edition at the Sarit Expo Centre in Nairobi on December 6, 2023! Show the investors what you’ve got & take home the prize pool! Read more about the L59 Pitch Competition in Kenya from our blogpost.

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?

What's in the prize pool

- 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.
- More TBA.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 23, 2023

The Location

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).

Our partners

It’s not too late to join forces!
Contact our team at kaspar@latitude59.ee or info@latitude59.ee to see how we can help each other.

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 in Tallinn 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, and grew into one of the most international startup conferences in the region, with quality at its core.