Each year the Norrsken Foundation highlights one hundred of the world’s most promising early-stage startups with the potential to solve some of humanity’s toughest challenges. The Impact/100 list has become a showcase for bold ideas that blend profit with purpose.
For the 2025 edition more than 1,400 startups were nominated by 50 institutions including venture capital funds, universities and non-profits. From that longlist, a jury selects ventures with the potential to become “impact unicorns” – a company capable of improving the lives of a billion people. This year’s list again features a strong showing from Africa, where entrepreneurs are tackling issues that touch daily life for millions of people.
Meet the startups
Arnergy (Nigeria):
Arnergy provides solar energy systems with smart batteries, designed specifically for the African energy reality. Their decentralized solar solutions empower SMEs, clinics, and schools with affordable, consistent, clean power replacing diesel and catalyzing economic growth from the ground up.
Amini (Kenya)
Amini uses AI and ground-level insights to deliver high-resolution, real-time environmental data across the African continent. Their platform unlocks better decisions for agriculture, carbon markets, and climate finance, empowering an entire continent to leapfrog into a data-informed, climate-smart future.
FarmWorks (Kenya)
FarmWorks builds an integrated agri-food ecosystem, supporting climate-smart farms, training apprentices through its Institute, providing inputs and market access, and using tech to reduce waste and stabilize prices.
Gigmile (Ghana/Nigeria)
Gigmile provides mobility-focused gig workers with affordable rent-to-own financing, asset subscriptions, and micro-loans empowering them to earn, grow, and participate anywhere they work.
Nile (South Africa)
Nile’s online marketplace directly connects farmers with commercial buyers, eliminating intermediaries. The platform digitizes the supply chain to provide transparent pricing, secure payments, and lower transaction costs for agricultural trading.
NALA (Kenya/Tanzania)
NALA is a fintech platform that enables instant, low-cost money transfers to Africa and Asia using modern rails, local currency support, and no hidden fees. With banking features and offline accessibility, NALA turns remittances into a tool for financial empowerment.
Octavia Carbon (Kenya)
Octavia Carbon leverages Kenya’s 93% renewable-powered grid and abundant basaltic rocks for geological storage, developing cost-effective, modular Direct Air Capture (DAC) systems. This technology extracts carbon directly from the air and stores it securely underground, providing a climate solution and a catalyst for green industrial growth in the region.
Oze (Ghana)
Oze provides a business app with tools for bookkeeping, sales, and inventory management for SMEs. It also offers a lending management system for banks and microfinance banks that uses machine learning to assess creditworthiness, making small businesses better borrowers and reducing non-performing loans for lenders.
Sabi (Nigeria)
Sabi creates solar-powered sensors that “listen” to forests, capturing environmental sounds and data. With AI, they detect early fire risks and illegal activities that enable local communities and authorities to act before disaster strikes.
Stitch (South Africa)
Stitch provides API infrastructure that makes it easy to build and scale financial services in Afric, from payments to banking to identity. With Stitch, companies can launch products faster, move money more efficiently, and create radically better financial experiences for consumers and businesses alike.
VunaPay (Kenya)
VunaPay digitizes produce logistics and financial management for cooperatives, enabling transparent and timely payouts to farmers. It brings reliable income and financial stability to thousands of smallholders.
Wave (Senega)
Wave is building a mobile-first bank for the underserved. It offers free deposits, free bill payments, and only a 1 percent fee for money transfers. Its agent network and app ecosystem make sending and receiving money as easy as sending a text. It’s financial inclusion that works for everyone, not just the wealthy.
