Request for Applications: SME Innovation Challenge Excellence Awards – 2nd Edition

Building on the success of the inaugural SME Innovation Excellence Awards held on August 23, 2024, at KICD, Nairobi, which brought together over 800 participants, the 2nd Edition of the Innovation Challenge Excellence Awards continues to spotlight groundbreaking innovations. trophies and 9 certificates.

Kenya’s innovation ecosystem continues to gain recognition, with the country improving its ranking in global innovation indices. SMEs play a vital role in driving industrialization, contributing over 33% to the national GDP and employing millions. The Innovation Excellence Challenge aligns with Kenya Vision 2030 and the Kenya 10-Year Innovation Master Plan, fostering sustainable solutions that enhance productivity, efficiency, and global competitiveness.

Objectives

• Identify and Support Innovators: Recognize SMEs that have successfully integrated new methodologies, products, or services to address market access challenges.
• Enhance Competitiveness: Enable businesses to measure and improve their level of innovation, driving higher revenues and market share.
• Boost Market Access: Support solutions that help SMEs overcome barriers to entry, thereby expanding their domestic and international customer base.
• Drive Economic Growth: Strengthen Kenya’s innovation ecosystem by fostering creativity that leads to measurable business impact.

Award Categories

• Rising Female Star in Digital Trade: This award category will recognize the three most Outstanding Innovative Female youth-led SMEs that have developed innovative digital trade platforms, own e-commerce platforms, mobile apps, or direct-to-consumer digital sales models, digital payment solutions, digital supply chain solutions, chatbots etc, to enhance and unlock local, regional and international markets for their own businesses and for other entrepreneurs to use to digitally unlock markets for their products/services.
• Rising Male Star in Digital Trade: This award category will recognize the three most Outstanding Innovative Male youth-led SMEs that have developed innovative digital trade platforms, own e-commerce platforms, mobile apps, or direct-to-consumer digital sales models, digital payment solutions, digital supply chain solutions, chatbots etc, to enhance and unlock local, regional and international markets for their own businesses and for other entrepreneurs to use to digitally unlock markets for their products/services.
• Cross-Border Innovation Award: Recognizes SMEs that have developed a unique, tested and adoptable innovative solutions to enter regional or international markets, this could include self-managed export platforms or trade hubs for themselves or other entrepreneurs to leverage
• Logistics & Distribution Innovation Award: For SMEs that have come up and developed innovative disruptive logistical and distribution networks solutions to enhance and strengthen market reach locally and across the border. SMEs that have created unique logistical and distribution models, last-mile distribution systems, or direct B2B sales channels to penetrate
• Tech start-up Market Intelligence Innovation Award: Recognizes: Start-ups that have developed Artificial Intelligence, data analytics, or market research tools to understand customer behaviour, predict demand, and make data-driven business decisions.
• Best Overall Market Expansion Innovation Award: Recognizes  SMEs that have developed innovative solutions to overcome market access challenges—both for themselves or other entrepreneurs. Market access innovations under this category can involve new technologies, digital platforms, business models, partnerships, distribution strategies, or policies that help businesses enter new markets, expand their customer base, and improve their competitiveness.

Funding Information

• With cash awards totaling Kshs. 1.55 million and post-award technical support, the competition provides a platform for SMEs to scale their innovations, improve market access, and contribute to Kenya’s economic development.

Eligibility Criteria

• The awards are open to Kenyan SMEs that:
  • Size & Turnover: Employ between 1 and 250 staff with an annual turnover of up to Kshs. 100 million.
  • Innovation Impact: Have introduced innovations that lead to increased revenue, job creation, growth in customer numbers, expansion in new territories, or broader social impact.
  • Sector Focus: Operate in key sectors such as Agriculture, ICT, Healthcare, Retail Trade, and Creative/Handmade Manufacturing (other sectors are welcome to apply).
  • For The Rising Star in Digital Trade Category: Applicants must be Kenyan-led youth (aged 18–35) who have developed their own digital solutions rather than relying on third-party platforms.

For more information, visit KEPSA.