Winners of Irish Tech Challenge SA 2025 announced
- Wits University
Seven high-growth tech companies selected to receive up to €10,000.00 in grant funding, a pre-acceleration program and a fully-funded business immersion week.
The Irish Tech Challenge South Africa 2025 has its seven winners! Covo, Lilly Loompa, Navwork Technology, What The Foresight (WTF), Premier Agric, Vera and MindCiti Futures were selected from over 200 quality applications and will all receive up to €10,000.00 in grant funding, participate in a high-impact pre-acceleration program and a fully funded 10-day business immersion trip to Dublin, Ireland’s globally recognised tech hub.
The challenge, a partnership between the Embassy of Ireland in South Africa, the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), Dogpatch Labs and the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), is run by Wits University's Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct in its drive to support South African tech-enabled startups with global potential.
This year's program saw over 200 high-potential companies enter the initial selection phase. A shortlist of 70 was chosen which was then narrowed down to 14 finalists. These 14 companies underwent intensive virtual interviews and a final pitching session to a panel of industry experts from South Africa and Ireland.
Seven enterprises emerged victorious from the rigorous process and will be honored at a showcase on 14 November 2025 at the Tshimologong Digital Precinct in Braamfontein. Each of them will also receive focused mentoring in a pre-acceleration bootcamp to prepare them for a subsequent week-long immersion program with Dogpatch Labs in Dublin, Ireland.
The immersion week will provide them with direct access to Ireland's tech ecosystem, including networking opportunities with investors, potential partners, and Irish state agencies that support high-growth African startups.
Winners
The following seven companies emerged as the winners of this year’s challenge:
Navwork Technology
Profile: Navwok Technologies is driven by a deep commitment to empower individuals with visual impairments through innovation, inclusion, and independence. Their mission is to bridge the gap between technology and accessibility by creating intelligent assistive solutions that transform everyday mobility into a safe, seamless, and empowering experience.
Covo
Profile: COVO is an AI-powered marketing technology company building the infrastructure for Africa’s creator economy. Our platform connects creators directly with decision-makers inside brands, automates influencer campaign management, and provides the tools to measure, optimise, and scale performance, all in one place.
What The Foresight (WTF)
Profile: What The Foresight empowers organisations to uncover the 25 key attributes that drive future success. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, corporate leader, or investor, What The Foresight helps you take control of tomorrow by assessing your readiness today.
Premier Agric
Profile: Premier Agrics is built on a foundation of trust, innovation, and a commitment to sustainable agriculture. Its goal is to empower farmers and enhance productivity through cutting-edge technology and eco-friendly practices. The company is dedicated to building lasting partnerships that cultivate success for a brighter future in agriculture.
Vera
Profile: VERA is a secure communication and verification platform built to eliminate fraud and establish trust in digital business interactions. By combining cryptographically secured communications with verifiable digital credentials, VERA enables businesses to instantly verify counterparties, securely exchange sensitive company data, and automatically validate invoices before payment so that every transaction is trusted, transparent, and secure.
Lilly Loompa
Profile: Lilly Loompa is a company that creates beautiful homeware made by upcycling waste material. All materials are carefully sourced from waste and sustainably reimagined as beautiful, yet purposeful products.
MindCiti Futures
- Profile: MindCiti is a company that helps organisations and individuals grow through AI-guided learning, soft-skills mastery and smart job matching.
Runners-Up
The Irish Embassy to South Africa and its partners congratulate the runners-up of the 2025 challenge:
- Capacitate
- Docotela
- Incavert
- Jobox
- MiDesk Global
- Phyenti
- XCA
For full details on the program, visit irishtechchallenge.com.
About the Irish Tech Challenge South Africa: The Irish Tech Challenge South Africa is a partnership between the Embassy of Ireland, South Africa, the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), Dogpatch Labs, and the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), implemented by Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct. It aims to forge stronger innovation and tech links between South Africa and Ireland by supporting high-potential South African entrepreneurs in scaling their businesses.
About Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct: Tshimologong, "new beginnings" in Setswana, is Africa's premier digital innovation precinct. Founded by Wits University, it is a leading hub for technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship, providing skills training, incubation, and acceleration programs for startups from early-stage to investment re diness.