The Africa Deep Tech Challenge (ADTC) 2025 has officially concluded, spotlighting Africa’s brightest innovators solving for “resource-constrained computing”.
Launched on May 14, 2025, the Challenge set out to identify and empower breakthrough solutions that thrive under Africa’s unique infrastructural realities. In the words of Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Founding Partner at Future Africa: “This challenge affirms what we’ve always believed – that Africa’s builders, when equipped and trusted, can create global innovations that solve local problems. The winners aren’t just start-ups; they’re signals of the future we must all invest in.”
After months of rigorous competition, mentorship, and knowledge-sharing, the grand finals crowned the following winners:
- Project FarmSpeak – Empowers farmers with smart tools to revolutionise agriculture across the continent.
- Cure Bionics – Builds bionic prosthetics for amputees, pushing the boundaries of healthcare accessibility.
- Muscle – Digitises African small retail operations, fostering efficiency and economic growth.
- Perwer – Winner of the IHS Challenge Prize – Power Management Category and Audience Choice Award, tracking and managing energy usage with immediate impact on sustainability.
The journey saw 2 863 registered participants across 14+ countries and 421 submissions, with 350 vetted quality projects. From this pool, 16 semi-finalists and eight finalists emerged, supported by 14 mentors and over 100 technical resources.
Reflecting on the journey, Chukwuemeka Afigbo, Convener of the Africa Deep Tech Foundation, noted: “The Africa Deep Tech Challenge began as a simple idea – to prove that innovation in Africa is not top-down, but bottom-up. What we’ve witnessed is a generation of builders refusing to be limited by constraints; instead, they are using them as fuel for creativity. The future of deep tech in Africa is already here.”
Beyond the prizes
The winners share $20 000 in equity-free grants, alongside tailored mentorship, direct investor access and post-challenge support. Over the next couple of months (October 2025 – March 2026), finalists will receive visibility across global networks and technical support to scale their innovations through our partners.
Partners and acknowledgments
The Africa Deep Tech Challenge 2025 was made possible by the collaboration of an extraordinary ecosystem. Special thanks go to Future Africa, IHS Towers, Ilorin Innovation Hub, Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB), ARM, Datamellon, Qhala, AR/VR Africa, EMSI Morocco, 3MTT Nigeria, The Omniverse, Web3Afrika, Rustaceans Africa, GDG Lagos, UduTech and ISN Hubs.
Judges included Omoju Miller, Alex Tsado, Zak El Fassi, Silas Adekunle, Judith Okonkwo, Julian Duru, Shehu Umar and Mbangula Lameck Amugongo, all of whom ensured a rigorous and fair evaluation process.
Looking ahead
The Africa Deep Tech Challenge 2025 is more than a competition; it is a movement to re-imagine Africa’s future through deep technology. As the Africa Deep Tech Foundation, our mission continues: to empower builders, connect talent with opportunity and scale Africa’s ingenuity globally.
Explore the submissions gallery here: https://bit.ly/adtc-2025-gallery
Rewatch the finals here: Africa Deep Tech Challenge 2025 Finals Pitch Event
Partnerships: hello@africadeeptech.org
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