Three Kenyan startups win Ksh4.95m TotalEnergies award

Three Kenyan startups have won Ksh4.95 million in the just-concluded fourth edition of the TotalEnergies Startupper of the Year Challenge.

The award follows a rigorous judging and selection process by a jury. The three are part of the 100 winners in the 32 countries that participated in the special edition organized on the occasion of the Company’s centenary celebrations.

They were honored during an official prize-giving ceremony held at the Serena Hotel in Nairobi. The three local winners of the Startupper of the Year Challenge in Kenya are:

• Victor Mwaura in the Innov’Up category for best entrepreneur with MIDAS CITY that transforms metal into bespoke 3D art pieces and offers high-quality custom design products and services for businesses and individuals.

• Lennox Ochieng in the Cycle’Up category for best circular economy project with ECOBANA LIMITED that manufactures biodegradable sanitary towels from banana fibers, addressing period poverty in Africa.

• Martin Lusasi in the Power’Up category for best sustainable and affordable project with BODER that facilitates electric bike purchases, offers a ride-hailing platform for eco-friendly two-wheelers with seamless rider-customer interactions.

Besides receiving Ksh1.65 million each to help them develop their projects, these young entrepreneurs will also be given personalized support to develop their projects along with local visibility to boost awareness of their solutions.

1,296 Kenyan startups entered the challenge, with 15 finalists pitching their projects to a local panel of experts.

TotalEnergies Marketing Kenya Public Limited Company has been operating in Kenya since 1955.

The firm, which is a subsidiary of French oil giant TotalEnergies, is the third largest oil marketing company (OMC) in Kenya with a market share of 15.06%, having been recently surpassed by Rubis Energy, another French company, which has a share of 15.56%.

TotalEnergies is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), and saw its net profit rise by 14.1% on the half-year period to June 2024.

The firm earned a profit after tax of Ksh938.5 million during the six-month period, marking a steady increase from Ksh822.5 million during the same period in 2023.

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