What a Day! 29/9/2024 Pears Challenge: Validate Demo Day

Pears Program
May 1
1 min read

Updated: May 8

Pears Challenge: Validate Demo Day was nothing short of incredible! We heard six groundbreaking startups pitch their innovative solutions focused on financial inclusion in East Africa. From providing credit insurance to empower lenders, creating digital tools for smallholder farmers, offering gamified financial education platforms, and using AI to prevent fraud, to redefining cross-border payments and showcasing African craftsmanship to global markets—each venture brought practical, impactful ideas to life.

A huge thank you to our amazing partners, FinSec Innovation Lab - Startup Accelerator by Mastercard , and Flori Ventures, for their unwavering support. Your commitment has been instrumental in making this event successful.

Gratitude also goes out to our judges (aka dolphins)—your insightful feedback and expertise helped shape the future of these startups. Odelia Torteman, Yair Avidan, Annie Degani and a special thanks to - Tomer Bariach and Galia Benartzi - your fireside chat made the day even more impactful.

To our keynote speaker, Ben Froumine of Mastercard, thank you for sharing your deep insights and inspiring us all.

And finally, a heartfelt thanks to the startup teams that pitched. Your dedication, ingenuity, and passion were on full display, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for you!