Jacob’s Ladder Africa (JLA), a continental non-governmental organization driving green solutions and climate innovation, has hosted its highly anticipated Greenlabs Demo Day, with the aim of providing cutting-edge climate solutions from emerging entrepreneurs and addressing environmental challenges across East Africa.
JLA, renowned for its youth-centric approach to sustainability, is on a mission to catalyze 30 million green jobs across Africa by 2033 and through socio-economic programs, advocacy, and entrepreneurial incubation, the organization empowers youth to become active contributors to the continent’s green economy.
The Demo Day was the grand finale of the Powering Food Systems Innovation Challenge, a hackathon-style competition exploring how renewable energy can revolutionize food systems.
During the event, participants tackled challenges in food production, processing, transportation and waste management with innovations that integrate sustainable energy such as smart energy systems.
Speaking during a press briefing, JLA’s Chief Innovation Officer, Karen Chelangat, highlighted the organization’s commitment to empowering youth through green entrepreneurship.
“Youth unemployment is an issue that Jacob ’s ladder Africa seeks to address by creating opportunities for and by the youth, through the incubation program,” noted Chelangat.
Additionally, she revealed that many start-ups fail within their first two years due to weak foundations and a lack of essential skills and resources, reiterating that JLA’s aim is to curb start-up mortality by addressing the exact challenges.
Finalist teams were drawn from various counties across Kenya including, Baringo, Busia, Homa Bay, Kajiado, Kiambu, Nairobi among others to present their innovative and scalable ideas aimed at building sustainable and resilient food systems powered by renewable energy.
The startups benefited from mentorship and capacity-building sessions on the Demo Day which equipped them with the skills and insights needed to navigate the rigorous selection process and deliver compelling pitches.
Among the showcased projects included Solar Compost IT, which transforms organic waste into compost and bio-fertilizers, NuRa, a clean renewable innovation which uses concentrated solar power to generate steam for large-scale kitchens, Smart Hive Optimization, a solar-powered ventilated container that monitors hive conditions; and TEAtrans, a solar-powered container for transporting fresh tea leaves.
An expert judging panel, including representatives from the African Union, Yara International, and Great Carbon Valley, evaluated the projects based on innovation, scalability and impact on women and youths as well as an award ceremony celebrating the efforts of the participants.
Winners of the competition were announced during the award ceremony including Urbanus Lubano of Empire Innovations who secured the grand prize of Ksh. 200,000 for his renewable energy-powered agricultural machinery.
Meanwhile, the second prize went to Solar Nest, a poultry farming solution leveraging advanced solar tracking technology, while third place was awarded to Bettinah Maruti for her iLoop KE and Logistics solution addressing food spoilage in low-income areas.
In addition to these cash prizes, all finalists earned full sponsorship to join JLA’s nine-month Greenlabs Incubation Program, which provides training, mentorship, and networking opportunities to help entrepreneurs transform their ideas into viable startups.
Jacob’s ladder Africa aims to catalyze 30 million green jobs across the continent by 2033 through programs like Greenlabs, and is also fostering innovation and sustainable development, creating opportunities for young people to tackle the complex continent’s environmental and socio-economic challenges.
By Sharon Atieno
