Kenyan Start-Up VunaPay Triumphs At Latitude59

VunaPay, a Kenyan start-up revolutionising instant payments for farmers, has triumphed at the Latitude59 Pitch Competition. The win secures VunaPay a trip to Tallinn, Estonia, for Latitude59 2025. This year’s Latitude59 Pitch Competition attracted 382 applications from 37 countries, with only ten start-ups making it to the final pitch stage. VunaPay emerged victorious, impressing the jury with its impactful solution for farmers and its scalable potential.

Latitude59’s CEO, Liisi Org stated that while the final competition was tough, the jury unanimously selected VunaPay. “I was glad to witness three female founders pitching on stage, all leading impact start-ups. This year’s focus was heavily on impact-driven solutions, and there were many strong candidates—most were ready to raise a round and had properly functioning products!”

Meanwhile, Org highlighted Latitude59’s growing success in Kenya. “Thanks to our deeper understanding of the ecosystem and incredible partners and friends in Kenya, this event exceeded our expectations. We’re already planning for next year, with the ambition to become the highest-quality start-up and tech event in Africa,” she said.

Latitude59, Estonia’s flagship start-up and tech event was the second satellite edition. It drew nearly 2,000 attendees to the A.S.K Dome, creating a vibrant space for start-ups, investors, and tech enthusiasts to connect. Daniel Erik Schaer, Estonian Ambassador to Kenya and South Africa, highlighted the importance of collaboration between Kenya and Estonia: “Estonia is a small country, and partnerships are essential for us. Many of our bold start-ups are already active in Africa, so I hope you’ll use this opportunity to connect, explore, and work together to create something extraordinary.”

Emmanuel Kata Kimeu, Secretary, ICT – Security and Audit Control at the State Department of ICT and Digital Economy described Latitude59 as a critical bridge between the Estonian and Kenyan ecosystems and a platform for start-ups to connect with local and global investors.

“Youth is the driving force of Kenya’s economy, and Latitude59 helps transform their innovative ideas into fully functioning enterprises. I express my heartfelt gratitude to the Latitude59 team for choosing Kenya and Nairobi as a key destination.”

L59, as it is also known, provides a global platform for not only African and Estonian but also international founders and innovators to find connections that are valuable to them. With that, they have an opportunity to discuss different innovations they have created, forge partnerships and build on already international relations.

VunaPay secures a trip and a booth at Latitude59 2025 in Tallinn, covered by Latitude59. In addition, VunaPay will get fast-track access to Tallinn’s Pitch Competition 2025. Twiva received the Walk the Talk award from Infobip and they received platform credits worth $20,000. In addition to L59, Cloudplexo, Emerging Valley, IHUB and Spurt Group also contributed to the competition’s Prize Pool and had a chance to present an award for start-ups of their choice.