Katapult Africa has selected 15 climate-focused startups from across Africa for the third cohort of its Climate Program, narrowing a pool of more than 1,500 companies to a group developing solutions across electric mobility, renewable energy, agriculture, carbon removal, waste management and food security.
The selection follows a competitive process that saw more than 100 startups interviewed, highlighting the depth of Africa’s emerging climate-technology pipeline as entrepreneurs increasingly build businesses around the continent’s energy, food, transport and environmental challenges.
The 15 companies span Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Zambia, Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Morocco, reflecting the increasingly regional nature of Africa’s climate innovation ecosystem.
Among them is Tayar Inc., an Egyptian mobility startup developing an integrated Electric Fleet-as-a-Service platform aimed at last-mile delivery.
Kenyan startup Taka Earth is tackling waste management through IoT-connected smart bins that reward users with instant cash for recyclable materials, while South Africa’s Tavas Technologies is building an AI-native energy management system for microgrids.
Agriculture is another major focus of the cohort.
Zambia’s Mytochondria uses satellite remote sensing and artificial intelligence to provide smallholder farmers with real-time soil guidance.
In Tanzania, LimaBot AI combines satellite imagery, WhatsApp and USSD technology to deliver crop diagnostics and credit scoring to smallholder farmers.
Moroccan startup AgroConform is developing a verified field-record system for smallholder farmers that combines parametric insurance, blockchain compliance and a digital passport for agricultural produce.
The cohort also includes companies working at the intersection of climate technology and industrial activity.
South African deep-tech startup NanoPula uses hemp biomass to produce a nano-gel designed to recover minerals from mine tailings. The recovered minerals are then used for ocean alkalinity enhancement, creating what the company describes as dual revenue opportunities from mineral recovery and carbon credits.
Kenyan startup Zen Carbon is injecting captured carbon dioxide into concrete, permanently mineralising the gas while strengthening the building material.
Another Kenyan company, Pyrogen, produces carbon-negative concrete blocks infused with biochar. Its model seeks to permanently sequester carbon while supplying building materials at market-competitive prices in a country facing a significant housing deficit.
Egypt’s Croptimus is converting agricultural waste into biochar, activated carbon and wood vinegar through pyrolysis, turning agricultural residues into potentially valuable products while addressing waste management.
Clean energy and electric mobility feature prominently across the cohort.
Kenyan startup Chargebyte Limited is deploying modular solar-hybrid charging and Wi-Fi stations in locations including schools, markets and hospitals.
Tanzanian EV company JTP Auto combines lease-to-own financing with electric vehicles and AI-driven fleet management, while Nigerian startup Lenol is developing solar-powered e-bike battery-swapping stations for informal delivery riders in Lagos.
In Côte d’Ivoire, HENDDU is developing environmental intelligence tools that enable governments and industrial operators to monitor, forecast and respond to air pollution.
The cohort’s final company, Moroccan platform FOODEALS, is targeting food waste through a B2B2C marketplace connecting food businesses with consumers, non-governmental organisations and charities to resell or donate surplus food before it is discarded.
The diversity of the selected companies reflects the scale of the challenges facing African economies and the commercial opportunities entrepreneurs see in solving them.
Africa’s rapidly expanding cities are driving demand for cleaner transport and reliable energy, while smallholder farmers remain exposed to climate shocks, limited access to finance and weak market infrastructure.
At the same time, growing pressure to reduce emissions is creating new opportunities around carbon removal, circular economies and low-carbon construction.
Against that backdrop, the Katapult Africa Climate Program is positioning its latest cohort at the intersection of climate impact and venture-scale business development.
The 1,500-plus applications screened before the final selection underline the level of entrepreneurial activity emerging around climate solutions on the continent.
The final 15 startups now enter Cohort 3 with businesses covering multiple points of Africa’s climate economy, from the farm and factory to transport networks, construction sites and urban waste systems.
The cohort’s geographic spread also points to a broader shift in African climate entrepreneurship.
Rather than being concentrated in a handful of established technology markets, climate innovation is emerging across multiple regions and increasingly targeting practical infrastructure and economic problems.
For investors, the companies offer exposure to markets where climate adaptation and economic development are closely intertwined.
For the founders, the challenge now moves from selection to execution, turning promising technologies and business models into scalable companies capable of delivering measurable climate impact across African markets.
The launch of Cohort 3 comes as Africa’s climate economy moves beyond a narrow focus on emissions reduction toward a broader commercial ecosystem encompassing adaptation, food security, clean mobility, energy access, circular economy infrastructure and climate finance.
