NAIROBI, Kenya (Chatnewstv.com) — The third edition of Latitude59 Kenya made history this week, culminating in the event’s first-ever syndicated investment from the Nairobi Business Angel Network (NaiBAN), awarded live on stage to the winner of the annual pitch competition. The event, which started on the 3rd, came to an end on Dec. 5, 2025, brought together 2,500 founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders from 50 countries, cementing Latitude59’s role as a vital link between global capital and African innovation.
The main focus of this year’s conference was accelerating Africa’s next wave of innovation through digital and green technology, connecting African founders with global expertise and networks.
The highlight was the L59 Pitch Competition, which drew 222 applications from 27 countries. The top prize, including a fast-track to the Latitude59 pre-finals in Tallinn, Estonia, was won by Mediakits.io, a platform that enables influencers to create custom media kits online with real-time data and analytics.
The grand prize also included a $50,000 syndicated investment from NaiBAN, marking a major milestone for the event.
“This year’s competition was truly special—for the first time in Latitude59 Kenya’s history, a syndicated Nairobi Business Angel Network $50,000 investment was born on this stage,” said Liisi Org, CEO of Latitude59 and a jury member.
“We’ve worked towards this moment for three years. It proves what Latitude59 is really about—investing in relationships and building a real community.”
The decision on the investment was intense, according to Nick Vilelle, founder of NaiBAN.
“The competition was tough and choosing only one team to award with $50,000 investment was really hard,” Vilelle said.
“The finalists didn’t just pitch, they performed with confidence, courage and real belief in what they’re building. We are really excited to see how PaydHQ is about to join the journey.”
Kaspar Kitsing, the project lead for the third satellite event in Africa, emphasized the deepening commitment to the local ecosystem.
“We are here to stay. Our goal is to dig deeper, learn more and continue to build the local ecosystem,” Kitsing said.
“This week proved that when our ecosystems meet as equals, the boundaries of what’s possible disappear.”
In addition to the top prize, Vertical Lake was awarded a “Preparation for Commercial Due Diligence (CDD) and fundraising” package by Adoptomedia, while LOOP Pet Food and Acre Insights both won an Adoptomedia
“Go-to-Market strategy for investors” package. WOJO co-working memberships were awarded to Beba-Beggie, PaydHQ, and ProPath Sports.
The event, which attracted nearly 200 investors and almost 900 startup representatives, was delivered in cooperation with ESTDEV through the Digital and Green Innovation (DGI) Program, part of the European Union’s D4D Hub Twin Transition Team Europe Initiative, alongside other strategic partners.
Latitude59 is the flagship startup and tech event of Estonia, which is known for having the highest concentration of unicorns in Europe. Estonian startups such as Bolt, Admiral Markets, and Yaga are already active in Africa.
