Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit & Awards, 18 Southway Street, Eastgate, Sandton, Johannesburg (2026)

11/08/2026

Some people build startups.
Some people build the conditions that make startups possible.

Today, we honour the second group.

After receiving 1,786 nominations from 52 African countries, across 29 continental award categories, we are proud, emotional and deeply humbled to announce that the ASEB 2026 Top 5 Finalists are officially live.

145 finalists.

Not just names on a website.
Not just organisations on a list.
These are the people, platforms, institutions, hubs, ESOs, funders, mentors, universities, media voices, policy actors, ecosystem events and community builders carrying the invisible architecture behind Africa’s entrepreneurship story.

Before a founder raises capital, somebody prepares them.
Before a startup wins a pitch competition, somebody trains them.
Before an entrepreneur enters a market, somebody opens a door.
Before an ecosystem becomes visible, somebody builds trust in silence.

That is the work Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit & Awards(ASEB) exists to recognise.

For five years, from Johannesburg to Nairobi, Accra, Addis Ababa and now back home to Johannesburg, ASEB has carried one uncomfortable truth across the continent:

Africa cannot keep celebrating entrepreneurs while underfunding, ignoring or exhausting the people who build the systems around them.

This is why Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit & Awards(ASEB) 2026 matters.

It is not just an awards ceremony.
It is a continental homecoming for the people behind the people we celebrate.
It is where ecosystem builders gather to tell the truth about the work, build relationships, confront the realities of collaboration, speak about funding gaps, recognise excellence, and shape what Africa’s startup ecosystem must become next.

And now, the public voting phase is open.

We are inviting founders, entrepreneurs, ecosystem builders, investors, policymakers, funders, corporates, universities, media platforms, development partners and everyone who believes in Africa’s entrepreneurship future to visit the finalists page, read the stories, vote, register, partner and help us bring this experience to life.

View finalists and vote: www.asebs.com/finalists

Register to attend ASEB 2026:
www.asebs.com
Partnership and sponsorship conversations:
[email protected]

Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit & Awards(ASEB) 2026
20 to 22 October 2026
Alexander Forbes, Sandton, Johannesburg
5th Anniversary Homecoming Edition

To the finalists, congratulations.
To the nominees, your work still matters.
To the public, your vote now carries a story.
To partners and sponsors, this is the room Africa’s ecosystem builders deserve.
And to every ecosystem builder still building with tired hands, limited resources and too little recognition, this moment is for you.

The wait is over.
The builders are visible.
Now Africa votes.

07/08/2026

Some rooms show you what is possible. Others show you what is missing.

In 2019, Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit & Awards(ASEB) Founder and Chief Ecosystem Officer, McKevin Ayaba, was invited to speak at the Global Compact Network Singapore Summit during an ecosystem tour across Southeast Asia.

What stayed with him was not simply the opportunity to speak. It was the intention behind the room.

Business, institutions, policymakers, innovators and community actors were brought together around a shared future. Not because they had already solved every problem, but because they understood that progress cannot be built from separate corners.

At that point, McKevin had already spent time in several African entrepreneurship ecosystems. Since then, his work has taken him across 34 African countries.

The journey has reinforced a truth ASEB continues to carry: African entrepreneurship is shaped long before a founder reaches a stage, raises capital or makes headlines.

It is shaped by the people who create access, convene communities, make introductions, build trust and keep local ecosystems moving when nobody is watching.

This October, the Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit & Awards(ASEB) returns to Johannesburg for the 5th Anniversary Homecoming Edition.

Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit & Awards 2026

20–22 October 2026

Johannesburg, South Africa

We invite corporates, funders, development institutions, embassies, media platforms and ecosystem allies to help create a room worthy of the people building Africa’s entrepreneurial future.

Partner. Sponsor. Collaborate.

[email protected]

www.asebs.com | www.asebsociety.org

30/07/2026

Some stories deserve more than a rushed announcement.

Today, we were supposed to announce the Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit & Awards(ASEB) 2026 finalists, but after receiving 1,786 nominations from 52 African countries across 28 award categories, we realised that this process deserves more time, more care and more respect.

Behind these nominations are people and organisations who have been building Africa’s startup ecosystems long before the spotlight found them, the hub managers, mentors, ESOs, incubators, accelerators, universities, funders, media platforms, policy actors, ecosystem events and community builders who make entrepreneurship possible before the world calls it success.

The quality of nominations this year has been deeply encouraging, but also difficult to narrow down, so the finalists will now be announced within the next 10 days.

Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit & Awards(ASEB) 2026 is not only about awards, it is about experience, storytelling, connection and the 5th Anniversary Homecoming of a journey that started in Johannesburg, moved through Nairobi, Accra and Addis Ababa, and now returns home to Johannesburg.

Now that nominations are concluded and the finalist review is in its final stage, we are calling on sponsors, partners and collaborators who understand that supporting ASEB 2026 is not sponsoring another conference, but investing in the infrastructure that makes entrepreneurship possible.

Be part of the experience.

Sponsor. Partner. Collaborate.

Read more:

https://www.asebs.com/partner

For partnership conversations:

[email protected]

Hosted by ASEB Society

www.asebsociety.org

14/07/2026

Our founder, Mckevin Ayaba, just shared something he has never fully said in public before, and we believe everyone in Africa's startup ecosystem needs to read it.

On 8 December 2022, McKevin stood on the stage of the first Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit & Awards(ASEB) in Johannesburg wearing an outfit designed by his best friend, only hours after receiving the call that his friend, his brother and his designer, was gone. The room was full, ecosystem builders had already travelled from different countries, the programme had to run, the awards had to happen, and Mckevin had to stand and hold the room together while carrying grief no one in that room could see.

Later that evening, a team member collapsed unconscious behind the stage. McKevin Ayaba gave the closing speech in pain, shock, fear and grief without letting the room know. He missed his best friend's burial because he was already on a plane to Equatorial Guinea for more ecosystem work.

He is sharing this because he knows most ecosystem builders across Africa are living through similar invisible conditions every day, carrying grief, burnout, unpaid work, delayed funding and family pressure, yet still standing up with programmes, hubs, mentorship, convenings and founder support so that others have somewhere to stand.

We talk about founder loneliness but we almost never talk about the loneliness of the people quietly carrying founders.

This is why McKevin built Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit & Awards(ASEB), and this is why ASEB 2026 has received 1,786 nominations from 52 countries, because the ecosystem builders behind Africa's startup story are many, they are real, and they deserve more than applause.

ASEB 2026 — The Homecoming — takes place in Johannesburg from 20 to 22 October 2026, and we are inviting founders, ecosystem builders, sponsors, funders, corporates, foundations, development agencies, universities, investors, media platforms, government institutions and ecosystem partners to get involved, whether through sponsorship, collaboration, funding, media partnership, country delegations or speaking.

Read the full story here:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/stage-i-dressed-man-who-died-morning-one-room-knew-mckevin-ayaba-ffbif/

www.asebs.com | [email protected]

Africa's startup ecosystem will not be built by applause. It will be built by those willing to support the people who keep showing up, even when they are quietly breaking.

14/07/2026

Every founder knows loneliness, but very few people talk about the loneliness of the people who carry founders through it.

We talk a lot about the founder journey.
The sleepless nights.
The unpaid bills.
The pitch decks sent into silence.
The investors who say “come back later.”
The family members who do not understand why a person would keep building something that is not yet paying them.
The fear of failing publicly after believing privately for so long.
That loneliness is real.

But there is another loneliness sitting quietly behind it.
The loneliness of the ecosystem builder.
The person who answers the founder’s call when the money has not come.
The person who reviews the pitch deck at midnight.
The person who opens rooms they are not always credited for.
The person who makes introductions, follows up, encourages, explains, mentors, connects, and absorbs the emotional weight of founders who are close to giving up.
The person who helps founders carry their struggle, while also trying to survive their own.

This year, Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit & Awards(ASEB), 2026, received 1,786 nominations from 52 countries.

That is not just a number.
That is Africa telling us that the people behind the founders must also be seen.

ASEB 2026 is our way of bringing these builders into the room, honouring them, hearing their stories, recognising their sacrifice, and reminding the continent that founders do not rise alone, and ecosystems do not build themselves.

So this is a real call to sponsors, funders, corporates, foundations, development partners, governments, universities, investors, media platforms, and ecosystem institutions.

Support us so we can support them.
Partner with us so we can bring more builders into the room.
Sponsor us so we can recognise the people who have spent years recognising others.

Collaborate with us so we can create spaces where stories are shared, wounds are named, lessons are exchanged, and ecosystem builders leave stronger than they came.

ASEB 2026 takes place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 20 to 22 October 2026.

You can sponsor a category, support country delegations, host a side session, partner on programming, support research, contribute to ecosystem conversations, or help us bring more builders into the room.

And if you know a potential sponsor, funder, foundation, corporate, development agency, university, investor, media partner, or institution that should be part of this, please tag them or connect us.

www.asebs.com⁠

For partnerships, sponsorships, speaking, media, country delegations, collaborations, or any other way you would like to get involved:

[email protected]

Africa’s startup ecosystem will not be built by founders alone.
It will be built by the people brave enough to support the people who support them.

13/07/2026

Nominations for ASEB 2026 are now officially closed.

This year, we received 1,786 nominations across 52 countries.

We had hoped to reach all 54 African countries, and somehow, we missed the same two countries as last year. We can laugh about it for a moment, but we are also taking it seriously, because our vision remains clear.

We will continue pushing until every African ecosystem is reached, seen, heard, and represented.

To every person who nominated an ecosystem builder, founder supporter, mentor, hub leader, investor, policy actor, community builder, institution, programme, or organisation helping strengthen Africa’s startup ecosystem, thank you.

Every nomination carries a story. A story of someone building in silence, opening doors, strengthening communities, mentoring without applause, connecting founders to opportunity, shaping policy conversations, building programmes, and doing the hard work that often becomes visible only when someone else succeeds.

That is why Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit & Awards(ASEB), exists.

Now that nominations are closed, we begin the next phase of the ASEB 2026 Awards process.

The judging and review process will begin from Friday, 17 July 2026. This will include nomination review, category screening, verification, and the selection of the Top 5 finalists in each award category.

The Top 5 finalists per category are expected to be announced by 30 July 2026, after which public voting will officially open.

ASEB 2026 will take place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 20 to 22 October 2026, bringing together ecosystem builders, founders, investors, policymakers, hubs, accelerators, partners, and innovation leaders from across Africa and beyond.

To everyone who nominated, shared, encouraged someone, or helped us identify the unsung heroes of Africa’s startup ecosystem, thank you.

The nomination window has closed.

Now the recognition journey begins.

To register as a speaker, explore partnership opportunities, or get more information about ASEB 2026, please visit:

www.asebs.com

You can also learn more about ASEB Society, Africa’s institutional home for startup ecosystem builders, here:

www.asebsociety.org

For partnerships, speaking, collaboration, sponsorship, media, country delegation interest, or any other way you would like to get involved, please email:

[email protected]

07/07/2026

This photo is not just a group of winners standing together in Accra.

It is a memory of what happens when Africa’s ecosystem builders finally come into the same room, after years of building in silence, carrying founders, strengthening institutions, opening doors, connecting opportunities, designing programmes, mentoring entrepreneurs, shaping conversations, and doing the work that often only becomes visible when someone else succeeds.

They came from across Africa.

From Togo, Nigeria, Benin, Rwanda, Uganda, South Africa, Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, and many more places across the continent, they travelled to Accra for the Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit & Awards(ASEB) 2024, not only to receive recognition, but to be part of a larger continental conversation about the future of African entrepreneurship.

For four days, they shared rooms, stories, experiences, frustrations, lessons, possibilities, and connections.
They sat in conversations that challenged the way we think about ecosystem building.
They networked with people who understood the weight of this work without needing too much explanation.
They experienced the ecosystem tour of Accra and saw how local innovation, culture, enterprise, and community can come together to shape a city’s entrepreneurial identity.

Then they stood together on that podium with their heads high.

Not because their journey had been easy.

Not because their work had always been funded, celebrated, or understood.

They stood there because someone finally paused long enough to say, “We see you.”

That is what the Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit & Awards(ASEB) is about.

It is about recognising the people behind the scenes who give their all so that founders can go further, ecosystems can become stronger, and African entrepreneurship can have the support systems it needs to survive beyond inspiration.

These are the mentors, hub leaders, accelerators, incubators, investors, policy actors, university champions, community builders, programme designers, market access enablers, investment readiness experts, and support organisations whose work has carried many founders through seasons of uncertainty.

This photo is celebration, but it is also evidence.

Evidence that Africa’s ecosystem builders exist.

Evidence that their work matters.

Evidence that recognition can become memory, and memory can become movement.

As nominations continue for the Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit & Awards(ASEB) 2026, we are asking you to help us find the builders whose work deserves to be seen.

We have 5 days left.

Nominate the ecosystem builder who has been working quietly.

Nominate the person who has carried founders when nobody was watching.

Nominate the organisation whose impact has helped shape entrepreneurship in your country.

Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit & Awards(ASEB) 2026 returns to Johannesburg from 20 to 22 October 2026.

Nominate now.

www.asebs.com

06/07/2026

There are moments behind every award photo that people never get to see.

When Cindy Sean from Botswana stood on the Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit & Awards(ASEB) stage in Addis Ababa in 2025 as Startup Mentor of the Year, it was not just a beautiful recognition moment. It was the result of uncertainty, resilience, cost, and a difficult back and forth visa journey that could have easily made her give up.

But Cindy kept going.

Why?

Because she believes in entrepreneurship.

She believes in founders.

She understands the loneliness of building something when the support system around you is still growing, and she understands why mentors matter in the life of an entrepreneur.

Seeing her on that stage was difficult to explain. It was not only about the trophy. It was about what it took for her to get there, and what her journey represents for so many ecosystem builders across Africa who keep showing up even when the process is heavy.

Since receiving the ASEB Startup Mentor of the Year recognition, Cindy has continued translating recognition into impact.

Her work includes involvement in the development of a Digital Business platform for women and youth entrepreneurs in Botswana, commissioned by the Finnish Institute of Public Management under the Team Europe programme, EU Support to Digital Transformation in Botswana.

This is the kind of practical ecosystem infrastructure Africa needs.

Before that, Cindy served as Lead Local Consultant on the EU funded Digital Innovation Ecosystem Assessment for Botswana, engaging government ministries, innovation hubs, development partners, and private sector actors to better understand the country’s innovation landscape.

Through Pazha Group, she continues to support startups and SMEs in areas that remain deeply underserved, including commercial business development, investor access, market linkages, and disciplined project ex*****on.

This is why Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit & Awards(ASEB) exists.

To recognise the people building behind the scenes.

To honour those who carry founders, support institutions, strengthen ecosystems, and turn invisible work into visible impact.

Nominations continue for Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit & Awards(ASEB) 2026.

We have 6 days left.

Nominate the mentor, ecosystem builder, founder support actor, programme builder, policy connector, hub leader, investor readiness champion, or community builder whose work deserves to be seen.

Because somewhere in Africa, there is another Cindy Sean whose story deserves a stage.

Nominate now

www.asebs.com

02/07/2026

Africa’s startup ecosystem has been carried by people whose sacrifice was praised more than it was protected.

Today at 16:00 Johannesburg time, ASEB Society presents The Ecosystem Builder’s Lies, a necessary conversation on The Lie That Passion Will Pay the Bills.

Across Africa, ecosystem builders are praised for purpose, resilience, sacrifice, and commitment, but passion does not pay rent, salaries, transport, internet, staff, reporting costs, legal costs, or emotional debt.

Behind many successful programmes is someone who made the introductions, reviewed the pitch deck, opened the room, followed up with partners, carried the founder breakdowns, submitted the report, and still went home with unpaid bills. The ecosystem saw impact, but the builder carried the cost.

Hosted by our very own McKevin Ayaba, founder of Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit & Awards(ASEB) and as someone who has sat in ecosystem building rooms across 34 African countries, this session is a truth room for ecosystem builders, founders, hub leaders, programme leads, mentors, funders, policy actors, partners, and ecosystem stakeholders.

Come with your story. Come with the lie you believed. Come with the truth you are ready to name.

Register here

https://luma.com/p2r7igu9

And if someone came to mind while reading this, nominate them for ASEB 2026, self nomination is encouraged. Recognition will not fix everything, but silence fixes nothing.

www.asebs.com

29/06/2026

There is a hub manager who has not taken a salary in eight months.

She is still opening the doors every morning. Still answering WhatsApp messages from founders who need mentorship, introductions, moral support. Still showing up. Because if she closes, five startups close with her.

There is a mentor who gave away more than 4,000 hours of his life. Free. No invoice. No equity. Last week the founder he coached for two years posted about closing a $2 million round. He was not tagged. He was not mentioned.

He heard about it from someone else.
He sat with that. Alone.

We built a culture that feeds on the generosity of ecosystem builders and gives almost nothing back. We celebrate the outcome and erase the infrastructure that produced it. And we call it "sustainability challenges" instead of saying the truth.

Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit & Awards(ASEB) was born in 2022 because we refused to keep pretending. We put ecosystem builders in a room together, called them by their real name, and something broke open. People cried. Not because they were sad. Because for the first time in years someone had looked directly at them and said: your work is real, and it matters.

We have 13 days left before nominations close for ASEB 2026. The Homecoming. Back in Johannesburg where it all began.

The person you are thinking of right now has probably convinced themselves they do not deserve this. That someone else's work is more important. That they should wait another year.

They should not wait. And neither should you.

Nominate them at www.asebs.com/nominate

Less than 90 seconds. Four fields. Their name, country, email, and category. Free to nominate. Self-nominations welcome. 28 award categories. 54 African countries eligible.

Behind every founder, there is a builder. This is their time.
ASEB 2026. The Homecoming. Johannesburg. October 20 to 22, 2026.

Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit & Awards

11/08/2026

07/08/2026

30/07/2026

14/07/2026

14/07/2026

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29/06/2026

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