Three early-stage Kenyan cleantech startups a mushroom-based mosquito repellent, a biodegradable diaper maker and a water hyacinth packaging venture, have been named winners of the ClimateLaunchpad Kenya 2026 National Final, advancing to the competition’s Regional Finals in October with a shot at representing Kenya at the Global Grand Final in Singapore.
The National Final, organized by GrowthAfrica, brought together 15 early-stage founders after eight weeks of intensive coaching, tasking them with tackling some of the region’s most pressing environmental and public health challenges from mosquito-borne disease and sanitation to sustainable packaging.
MbuShild, founded by Tom Obote, took first place with a biodegradable mosquito repellent derived from mushrooms, an approach aimed at one of East Africa’s most persistent public health burdens.
Rallum Eco Diapers, founded by Maria Aloo, placed second with a line of biodegradable diapers designed to cut the environmental footprint of a product category still dominated globally by non-biodegradable materials.
Hyacinth Ecopack, led by Teddy Gichuhi Mbugua, took third place by converting water hyacinth, an invasive aquatic plant that chokes lakes and waterways across the region, into sustainable packaging material.
Judging was conducted by a jury including Rose K., Godfrey Katiambo, Edward Kinyanjui and Linda Mathenge, who pushed founders to think beyond the prototype stage toward customer acquisition, sales and scale.
One piece of jury feedback resonated across the cohort: “People buy people, not just products.”
All three winners now advance to the ClimateLaunchpad Regional Finals, scheduled for October 25-26, with the eventual national winner earning a trip to Singapore for the competition’s Global Grand Final.
ClimateLaunchpad operates under Climate-KIC, Europe’s climate innovation agency, which drives climate action through innovation, cross-sector collaboration and place-based approaches.
The Kenya national final received support from Bank of America and Irish Aid.
The competition comes as climate-tech entrepreneurship grows in Africa, with founders creating solutions using local biological materials, like mushrooms and agricultural waste, to tackle environmental and public health challenges that traditional, import-dependent products have failed to address at scale.
For Kenya’s cleantech founders, the Regional Finals in October and the prospect of the Global Grand Final in Singapore represent a rare direct pipeline from a national pitch competition to international investor and market exposure.
