2  Malawi entrepreneurs among 21 finalists in nutrition pitch competition for African and Asian SMEs

Two Malawi entrepreneurs Fannie Gondwe and Daniel Mwavuli  are among 21 finalists in this year’s SUN Pitch Competition  where African and Asian entrepreneurs will pitch their innovative business ideas to address malnutrition.

As the COVID-19 pandemic presents unprecedented challenges to the food system, the pitch competition, to take place on30  July 2020, will highlight the innovation and investment opportunities within the private sector to increase access to nutrition in low and middle income markets.

Fannie Gondwe owns Perisha & Packaging Enterprise that promotes the consumption of locally produced crops, particularly Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) and orange maize which is biofortified with vitamin A.

Daniel Mwavuli is the founder of Sir Hackson Processors which work with small scale producers of soya beans, cassava and maize, which the startup process into fortified Soya Corn Blend Flour and supply the products to homes, institutions and humanitarian agencies.

Over 500 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from 24 countries applied to this second edition of the SUN Pitch Competition.

Organised by the SUN Business Network, 21 shortlisted finalists were selected through a series of national and virtual competitions and have undertaken comprehensive nutrition and business development training in preparation for the final.

The selected entrepreneurs will pitch their innovative solutions for improved nutrition to compete for a range of cash and business mentorship prizes in the race to be crowned the 2020 SUN Pitch Competition Champion.

The SUN Pitch Competition aims to showcase nutrition-related investments from SMEs that can catalyse innovation in local food systems and improve the affordability and accessibility of nutritious and safe foods.

“Achieving the nutrition targets of the Sustainable Development Goals will require more partnerships between businesses, investors, governments and UN agencies. The SUN Pitch Competition 2020 brings all these actors together to support entrepreneurs in emerging markets to transform their food systems,” emphasises Fatiha Terki, Deputy Director Nutrition, UN World Food Programme, co-convenor of the SUN Business Network.

The first edition of the SUN Pitch Competition was held at the Nutrition Africa Investor Forum in Kenya in 2018, where Ope Olanrewaju of Kennie-O Cold Chain Logistics from Nigeria was crowned the winner.

Following the competition, the 2018 SUN Pitch Competition Champion went on to complete a substantial deal with an investor, thanks to his participation in the competition.

For the 2020 Pitch Competition, the most innovative solution for improved nutrition will receive a cash prize of US$20,000 as the overall winner. The first and second runners up will receive US$10,000 and US$7,000, respectively.

In addition, the SUN Pitch Competition sponsors will each present US$10,000 cash prizes, which include the Royal DSM 3A Nutrition Award, the Cargill Prize on Innovation to Enable Access to Improved Nutrition, and the GAIN Food Technology Innovation Prize. Supporting partners, AGREA and Base of the Pyramid Innovation Center are also contributing mentorship prizes.

The Royal DSM prize will be awarded to the company that offers ‘3A nutrition’.

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