Verto Announces Shortlisted Participants for Verto Awards 2025.

Verto, the global a B2B payments company, has announced the list of companies that made it to the final stage of Verto Awards 2025, an annual initiative that celebrates African startups that are revolutionising industries and fostering inclusive economic opportunities throughout the continent.

The competition kicked-off on February 6, 2025, when applications were open to early-stage startups that have been operating for about two years, in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya. The award celebrates the spirit of innovation driving Africa’s economic transformation.

This year’s finalists represent diverse sectors – from fintech to agritech and healthtech to digital commerce – showcasing the country’s dynamic startup ecosystem.

Speaking on the launch of Awards, Ola Oyetayo, CEO and Co-Founder of Verto said:

“The world today is more connected than ever, and for startups, access to global markets isn’t just an advantage – it’s a game changer. Payments are at the heart of this, and, at Verto, we’ve spent years breaking down financial barriers, enabling businesses to send and receive money effortlessly while connecting Africa and other emerging markets to the world.

“The Verto Global Business Award takes this a step further, equipping the next generation of entrepreneurs with the resources and global recognition they need to scale and compete on a global stage.”

Shortlisted companies

• Evolutica Technologies: Evolutica Technologies is a Deaf‑ and Black‑owned ICT services provider that solves accessibility and digital infrastructure challenges for businesses.
• Eduvance Group: Eduvance operates as a professional service provider for schools, ECD centres, and learning institutions, handling their administrative, financial, HR, and operational tasks.
• HENKO TECH: Henko is building a smart AI + IoT system that helps businesses, especially in energy-heavy industries, track how they’re using power, spot where it’s being wasted, and fix it fast.
• SkyRocket Marketing: SkyRocket Marketing is a boutique full-service marketing agency built to give small to mid-sized businesses the strategic edge of a big agency—without the inflated cost.
• INNOVO NETWORKS PTY LTD: Innovo Networks offers scalable solutions that adapt to businesses ensuring seamless growth from small enterprises to large corporations.
• Sync Discovery: Sync Discovery is an AI-powered platform that enables artists to distribute their music to over 25,000 radio stations globally, track airplay, and collect their royalties in real-time.
• ETHICORE Political Lobbying: ETHICORE is the leading ethics centric international pan African government affairs firm.

Next steps

The finalists will now advance to the final stage of judging, where an expert panel of business leaders and product experts will evaluate their innovations based on impact, scalability, and sustainability.

The winners, runner-up and second runner-up will be announced on November 11th, 2025 and awarded USD 10,000, USD 3,000, and USD 2,000 respectively in Cape Town, to accelerate their global expansion and streamline cross-border operations.