A Celebration of Innovation: AIC Virtual Demo Day 2025 Recap

On June 27, 2025, we gathered virtually for a powerful showcase of African ingenuity, resilience, and ambition at the AIC Virtual Demo Day 2025. While we’ve hosted Demo Days before, this year's virtual format proved to be a game-changer—removing geographic and financial barriers and opening the doors to over 100 participants from around the world. From impact-driven founders to ecosystem builders, investors, and mentors, the digital stage brought us all together in real time to witness the future of African innovation.

This event wasn’t just about pitch decks—it was about connection. We witnessed sparks fly as our founders engaged with potential mentors, collaborators, and investors who are now exploring partnerships to take these ideas further. At the African Impact Initiative, we believe that the best way to predict the future of Africa is to create it and the power of entrepreneurship to tackle real, complex African problems is palpable—from healthcare access and logistics to education and local e-commerce. Each pitch reminded us that our continent is not just full of challenges, but of brilliant solutions crafted by bold young minds.

A standout aspect of this Demo Day was the diversity and depth of innovation. What a glorious demo day we had and we would like to appreciate all our  2024 African Impact Challenge cohort for giving their heart to their ventures and showcasing excellently the work that they do. In the Health Entrepreneurship (HENT) Stream, Ultrateb emerged as the winner, impressing judges with their solution for streamlined healthcare procurement and financing they got a cash prize of $2000 canadian dollars. Perfect Order took home top honors in the Country Innovation & Community Impact Stream, offering a smart approach to leveraging USSD, a simple text-based mobile network technology, enabling users to sell across multiple channels, expand their customer base, and increase revenue they took home a $2000 CAD cash prize. And in a beautiful moment of audience engagement, Glotto was awarded the Audience Choice Award a $1000 CAD cash prize, thanks to its unique approach to sustainable fashion with their minimalist clothing brand that is inspired by the robust earth tones and textures of the Sub Saharan fauna and flora.

Behind the scenes, none of this would have been possible without the incredible African Impact Initiative team. From program design and founder support to event execution and communications, each team member gave their all. It was a true testament to the power of passion, collaboration, and shared purpose. The dedication, excellence, and tireless teamwork that went into making this event a success is what continues to drive our mission forward—empowering African changemakers and building ecosystems of impact.

We are also deeply grateful to our sponsors and partners—ICUBE, The BRIDGE, and the Health Innovation Hub—whose support helped make this Demo Day possible. To our esteemed judges in both the Health Entrepreneurship Stream- Ignacio Mongrell- ICUBE, Joseph Ferenbok- H2i, Hadiza Mogoro- Koya Capital and Snider Mugese- Villgro Africa  and Country Innovation streams- Adelaide Muthang’i- 54 Collective, Surakat Kudehinbu- GreenAngel Syndicate, Edwin Ajogun - Royal Academy of Engineering, —thank you for your insight, your questions, and for believing in the potential of these ventures. And to every single attendee who cast their vote and cheered on our founders, thank you for being a vital part of this celebration.

To our winners—Ultrateb, Perfect Order, and Glotto—congratulations! Your commitment to innovation, purpose, and impact inspires us all. We are excited to continue supporting your journeys as you scale your ideas into transformative ventures.

What’s Next?
This is only the beginning. We invite you to follow along as these ventures continue their incubation journey, connect with investors and advisors, and build real-world impact. If you’re an ecosystem player, mentor, funder, or passionate about Africa’s future—join us. The next generation of African changemakers is here, and they are ready.

Call for applications for our 2026 African Impact Challenge cohort will be out before the end of the year but if you are interested, we have a waitlist that you can register for so that you can be the first to be notified when applications are on. 

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Virtual, Visible, and Valuable: How Demo Days Are Evolving to Champion Inclusive Innovation