Motorcycle cleaning startup PikiWash has won the Rwanda round of the Seedstars World Competition which will see it represent the country next year at the global final in Switzerland and also pitch for up to US$1 million in equity investment.
This year’s global early-stage startups competition Seedstars World has been hosting a series of local events across Africa and has seen winners emerge in countries like Mozambique, Tunisia, Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal and Cameroon.
The Rwanda event took place last Friday at the kLab hub in Kigali, with 11 selected startups presenting their ideas in front of the local jury panel. PikiWash, which has developed an eco-friendly, time-saving washing solution for motorcycles, was chosen as the overall winner.
The startup which also provides basic maintenance services is working on reducing road accidents associated with poor motorbike mechanical conditions, and reduce the pollution of the city’s water streams caused by the existing unhygienic motorbike washing operations. It is worth knowing that there is an estimated 30,000 taxi motorbikes in Rwanda
PikiWash will now take part in the Seedstars Summit in Switzerland in April of next year, where it will take part in a week-long training programme with the opportunity to meet the other 75 winners as well as investors and mentors from around the world.
The final day of the event will be dedicated to pitching in front of an audience of 1,000 attendees, with the possibility of winning up to the US$1 million equity investment and other prizes.
Umbrella, a digital platform that provides access to crucial information about SRH to young women came second, and HelloJob, a web app that links technical job seekers and job givers, claimed the last spot in the top three.
The other startups invited to pitch were BAG Innovation, Imagine We, AgriGo, Ongera, Academia, Vitcard, Fiatope Digital Solutions, and Made In Rwanda Online.
