15 New Endeavor Entrepreneurs Selected in Nairobi, Kenya

Stepping off the plane in Nairobi, Kenya welcomes you: the Green City in the Sun is alive with entrepreneurship, nature, and anticipation for those of us landing for Endeavor’s 99th in-person International Selection Panel. The ISP brings together minds from across the globe — candidates representing 17 different nationalities with businesses ranging from fintech to clothing to hardware.

In eco-park tents, a Spanish duo discussed their revolutionary immersion cooling technology, punctuated by the cries of both guineafowl and the exuberant schoolchildren. Over hot dawa, we dissected the complexities of the Indonesian poultry supply chain, while an entrepreneur called his chief of staff to share the day’s ‘a-ha’ moments. By Day 3, the entrepreneurs had soaked in stories of resilience and perseverance from Endeavor mentors after a sunrise game drive. Back at the hotel, the final deliberations took place, culminating in the selection of 15 outstanding entrepreneurs leading nine companies.

The magic of in-person ISPs lies in bringing our diverse markets to life. You hear about the vibrancy and challenges in global markets, but there’s no replacement for firsthand experience. As one entrepreneur aptly put it, “Only when you experience it, can you understand it.”

Panelists

Thank you to our outstanding group of panelists:

Shu Nyatta, Bicycle Capital (Endeavor Global Board Member); Ayman Essawy, Lucky Financial (Endeavor Entrepreneur, Endeavor Egypt Board Member); Costantza Sbokou-Constantakopoulou, Phāea (Endeavor Greece Board Chair); Ken Njoroge, PANI (Endeavor Entrepreneur, Endeavor Kenya Board Member); Melvyn Lubega, Go1 (Endeavor Entrepreneur, Endeavor South Africa Board Member); Michael Mutiga, Safaricom (Endeavor Kenya Board Member); Nevzat Aydın, Yemeksepeti (Endeavor Entrepreneur, Endeavor Türkiye Board Member); Peter Njonjo, Selu Group (Endeavor Entrepreneur, Endeavor Kenya Board Chair); Songe LaRon, SQUIRE Technologies (Endeavor Entrepreneur, Endeavor Western NY Board Member); Vargha Moayed, White Star Capital (Endeavor Romania Board Chair); Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Tamara (Endeavor Entrepreneur); Hassan Hamdan, Unifonic (Endeavor Entrepreneur); João Del Valle, EBANX (Endeavor Entrepreneur); Jose Bonilla, Chiper (Endeavor Entrepreneur); Peter De Caluwe, Thunes (Endeavor Entrepreneur); Steven Galanis, Cameo (Endeavor Entrepreneur); Mike Cassidy, Former Apollo Fusion; Shari Loessberg, MIT Sloan School of Management.

Our New Entrepreneurs

Learn more about the entrepreneurs who wow-ed our panelists this month and the innovative companies they are building.

Adsmovil

Entrepreneur: Alberto (‘Banano’) Pardo
Industry: B2B Software
Endeavor Office: Colombia

What they do:  Founded in 2011, Adsmovil specializes in digital advertising by helping brands and advertising agencies target the right audience. Using its proprietary location-based audience platform that gathers data from over 400 million smartphones and purchase intent data from 30+ retailers, Adsmovil helps advertisers connect with their audience at the right time. The platform supports programmatic buying, advanced segmentation, and audience creation, delivering impactful ad formats such as video, display, audio, and rich media. Today, Adsmovil serves over 500 blue-chip clients and has amassed a reach of 900+ million individuals across the US Hispanic market, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East.

Who they are: Alberto is a serial entrepreneur and prominent figure in the Colombian media tech and entrepreneurial ecosystems. Before Adsmovil, Alberto co-founded DeRemate.com, one of the first online marketplaces in Latin America which was acquired by Mercado Libre six years after its founding, and BEA Digital, which became one of Latin America’s leading digital marketing agencies in the early 2000s. He is also the founder of the Colombian Chamber of Electronic Commerce and a member of multiple marketing and advertising associations in the region.

blnk

Entrepreneurs: Amr Sultan and Tarek ElSheikh
Industry: Fintech
Endeavor Office: Egypt

What they do: Operating in a country where just over 5% of adults have access to a credit card, blnk is addressing Egypt’s consumer finance gap. Launched in October 2021, the company offers instant onboarding and credit-underwriting to merchants, allowing them to provide customers with credit, on the spot, at checkout. Using just their National ID, customers can apply, get approved for a credit limit with blnk, and utilize it instantly, all in under three minutes. blnk’s network of ~600 merchants with 2,500+ branches includes a broad range of products and services, such as electronics, appliances, furniture, fashion, and automotive services.

Who they are: blnk was co-founded by Amr (CEO) and Tarek (CRO), both with extensive experience in the financial industry. Amr has over two decades of experience in investment banking and equity research, having co-founded an investment bank in Egypt that was later acquired by Arqaam Capital, a leading institutional investment bank in the MENA region. Tarek joined blnk after nearly 20 years in finance, working at Barclays Bank, Piraeus Bank, and Camino Financial, a US-based fintech startup where he was part of the founding team and served as Chief Credit Officer.

Chickin

Entrepreneurs: Tubagus Wangsadisastra and Ashab Alkahfi
Industry: Food & Beverage
Endeavor Office: Indonesia

What they do: Founded in 2020, Chickin helps farmers manage their farms more effectively and connects them with poultry buyers. The company provides advanced technology and smart farm equipment, paired with cloud-based tools, to help farmers measure and optimize all aspects of farm management, including climate control, equipment oversight, and livestock living conditions. With extensive data from its farmers, Chickin also facilitates direct contracts with farmers and acts as a distributor of poultry products to businesses and restaurants. Today, Chickin serves thousands of users across the poultry value chain and has received funding from top regional investors such as East Ventures, GGV Capital, and ABD Ventures.

Who they are: Chickin was founded by three Brawijaya University alumni: Tubagus (CEO), Ashab (President), and Ahmad (CTO). The trio, all serial entrepreneurs, began developing the idea for Chickin in their second semester of college. Tubagus studied international relations and spent over three years at MW Brawijaya, a student-run incubator, eventually becoming its President. During this period, he also founded Buangdisini, a waste management startup. Ashab studied agrotechnology and was also a member of MW Brawijaya. To better understand the pain points faced by chicken farmers while ideating on Chickin, Ashab led the founding of their own chicken farm, and Tubagus ran it with him for several years, learning from local farmers in Central Java before launching Chickin in 2020.

East Africa Foods

Entrepreneurs: Elia Timotheo and Diana Michael
Industry: Marketplaces
Endeavor Office: Kenya

What they do: Founded in 2013, East Africa Foods collects fresh produce from small-scale farmers and delivers it directly to urban businesses, including informal retailers and supermarkets. Africa’s food supply supply chain is inefficient due to a high number of middlemen, leading to high prices and significant food waste. By addressing these inefficiencies, East Africa Foods aims to improve market access for farmers and offer customers the highest quality produce at competitive prices. The company currently works with over 10 thousand farmers across Tanzania to supply more than seven thousand retailers with bananas, potatoes, onions, and other food products.

Who they are: East Africa Foods is led by Elia (CEO) and Diana (CFO). Elia grew up in an entrepreneurial family—his mother ran a food business—and has been an entrepreneur himself from a young age. Diana managed the company’s finances since its founding, while still working as a Senior Auditor at KPMG Tanzania, before joining East Africa Foods full-time as CFO in 2017.

Insider

Entrepreneurs: Yuri Gricheno and Carolina Matsuse
Industry: Commerce
Endeavor Office: Brazil

What they do: Insider was founded in 2016 with a focus on creating high-quality clothing using advanced textile technologies such as anti-odor, anti-sweat, and breathability properties for casual wear, underwear, and athleisure wear. Their commitment to quality, sustainability, and customer satisfaction has positioned Insider as a leader in the e-commerce market for essential wear in Brazil. Operating a 100% online direct-to-consumer model, Insider is transforming the fashion landscape.

Who they are: Yuri and Carolina met through mutual friends and combined their diverse backgrounds to build Insider. Yuri, a former professional tennis player, studied international relations at Fairleigh Dickinson University in the US, supported by academic and sports scholarships. Carolina graduated from Brazil’s top-ranked engineering school, the Aeronautical Institute of Technology (ITA), and worked at Boston Consulting Group as well as at two unicorn startups, QuintoAndar and Uber. Their combined expertise and shared vision have driven Insider’s success and continuous innovation in sustainable fashion.

Matta

Entrepreneur: Mudiaga (‘Mudia’) Mowoe
Industry: Marketplaces
Endeavor Office: Nigeria

What they do: In Africa’s $360B manufacturing sector, inputs are sourced through a network of agents, distributors, and open-air markets. The fragmented nature of the sector leads to opacity. Manufacturers often struggle to reliably source the raw materials they require for the production process, while suppliers have limited visibility into the demand for the raw materials that they hold in stock. Matta is a B2B marketplace for chemicals, ingredients, raw materials, and commodities. Its platform connects manufacturing companies to a network of agents, distributors, importers, and suppliers who provide the necessary inputs to the manufacturing process. The company also provides financing and logistics services. Since launching in Nigeria in 2022, Matta has expanded into South Africa, Ivory Coast, & Senegal.

Who they are: Mudia, founder & CEO, first envisioned Matta while working as the country manager for a global chemicals manufacturer. At the time, a majority of requests he would receive from customers were to supply chemicals that his company did not produce or distribute. This gave him insight into the opacity and lack of discovery in the market. He would eventually go on to start a traditional chemicals distribution business before realizing that in order to solve the problem he identified, he would need to start a marketplace that aggregated distributors and other players in the chemical supply chain.

Entrepreneur spotlight – Why we’re excited:

Mudia founded Matta after building deep operational expertise in Africa’s manufacturing supply chain. Leveraging this expertise, he was able to build a marketplace that is operational in five countries and has grown GMV exponentially while maintaining strong unit economics. All within 24 months. However, a marketplace is just the start of Mudia’s ambition. His goal is to build Africa’s largest commodities exchange platform. He describes what he’s aiming to build as a mix between the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and multinational commodity traders such as Vitol and Trafigura. Riding on the back of the African Continental Free Trade Act (AfCFTA), a platform like this has the potential to transform the way manufacturing is done on the continent.

It’s a lofty ambition, but after meeting Mudia, you’re left with the feeling that he has the drive and expertise to pull it off.

Derin Adebayo
Manager, Entrepreneur Selection

Pickup Coffee

Entrepreneurs: Diego Lorenzo and Jaime Gonzalez
Industry: Food & Beverage
Endeavor Office: Philippines

What they do: Founded in 2022, Pickup Coffee aims to bridge the gap between affordability and quality in the Philippine coffee market. The company provides high-quality coffee that is affordable and easily accessible across its hundreds of coffee cart locations nationwide. Pickup consumers can order coffee in three easy ways: walk in, order ahead via the Pickup Coffee app, or delivery. Pickup offers a menu of various drinks and snacks, including its most popular drinks, such as an Iced Spanish Latte or Iced White Mocha, each of which costs less than $2 per drink.

Who they are: Diego, CEO and co-founder of Pickup, had the initial inspiration to start the company. Diego set out on a mission to identify an opportunity and build a business that would showcase successful outcomes for Filipinos. Jaime, on the other hand, is a Spanish expat living in the Philippines and is an engineer by trade. After meeting Diego and hearing about the coffee opportunity in the Philippines, Jaime, and Diego, alongside their two additional co-founders, decided to team up to launch a more affordable and high-quality coffee option in the Philippines.

Entrepreneur spotlight – Why we’re excited:

Diego and Jaime possess a clinical, uncommon command of their business. From coffee sales per retail square foot to cost of welding labor, no detail or metric is greater than an arm’s length away—a true edge in a sector won on the slimmest of margins. We love founders who “spike” on intellectual firepower and humility, and this duo delivers both in spades.

Coffee carts don’t exactly look like your average Endeavor Entrepreneur—but these coffee carts are far from average. We’re thrilled to back Diego and Jaime in building a world-class business.

 Marc Cho
Senior Manager, Entrepreneur Selection

Submer

Entrepreneurs: Daniel Pope and Pol Valls Soler
Industry: B2B Software
Endeavor Office: Spain

What they do: Founded in 2015, Submer is paving the way for more efficient and sustainable data centers. Through its patented immersion cooling system, customers submerge their IT hardware directly into Submer’s non-conductive, biodegradable coolant fluid that is 1400x more thermally conductive than air. For its clients, which include top Hyperscale and Government customers, this solution results in 50% lower energy and real estate costs, 95% savings on cooling operating expenses, 99% less water consumption, and 10x more computing density.

Who they are: Submer was founded by two brothers-in-law, Daniel (CTO) and Pol (CSO). Daniel, a serial entrepreneur, started his first business at 16, growing it into a multi-million dollar data center sold to Telefonica in 2009. After nearly a decade managing technical teams for major European telecommunications companies and server-hosting providers, he saw an opportunity to revolutionize data center cooling practices. He recruited Pol, who had experience as both a founder and operator and had worked at a renowned local incubator. While at university, Pol founded several projects, including Joiner, an app connecting people with similar interests. After university, he spent two years working at La Salle Technova, a renowned local incubator, before a three-year stint at FXStreet, where he grew from a Product Manager to the company’s CPO.

Viridi Parenti

Entrepreneur: Jon Williams
Industry: Smart City & Climate
Endeavor Office: Western NY

What they do: Viridi Parente, which means “green parent” in Latin, was founded to bring lithium-ion energy storage technology to the mainstream. This approach involves creating reliable and safe batteries that use lithium ions as the main component. After over a decade of research and development, Viridi has successfully engineered a fail-safe battery energy storage system which will become an integral component of the journey toward a zero-carbon future. Lithium-ion batteries are commonly used in various electronic devices due to their high energy density and rechargeable nature. Today, Viridi’s system is the sole solution capable of catering to large-scale applications across diverse settings, from industrial and medical facilities to commercial, municipal, and residential buildings.

Who they are: Jon, CEO and Founder of Viridi, has been in the environmental space for over thirty years. Prior to founding Viridi, Jon owned and managed OSC Holdings, Inc., a group of companies in the US and Canada that focused on Environmental Remediation and Redevelopment of former industrial sites. The first half of Jon’s career was focused on removing the negative remnants of the Industrial Revolution, and the second half will be focused on building and developing technologies and associated industries that will last decades past his time.

That’s a wrap on Endeavor’s Newest Entrepreneurs

From addressing Egypt’s consumer finance gap to helping farmers in Indonesia manage their farms more effectively to providing high-quality and affordable coffee across the Philippines, our new companies embody the diverse, yet consistently high-impact businesses that continue to join Endeavor’s community.

Stay tuned for next month’s batch of high-impact entrepreneurs and change-makers!