Jacob’s Ladder Africa Showcases Transformative Climate Innovations at Greenlabs Demo Day
Jacob’s Ladder Africa (JLA) has hosted its Greenlabs Demo Day, showcasing groundbreaking climate solutions from young entrepreneurs across East Africa.
The event marked the culmination of an intensive incubation program aimed at addressing pressing environmental challenges and creating sustainable solutions for the continent.
The Demo Day was part of JLA’s Powering Food Systems Innovation Challenge, a dynamic hackathon-style competition that explored the transformative role of renewable energy in food systems.
Participants developed innovations ranging from energy-efficient farming techniques and renewable-powered food processing to sustainable transport and waste reduction strategies.
Speaking during a press briefing, JLA’s Chief Innovation Officer, Karen Chelangat, highlighted the organization’s commitment to empowering youth through green entrepreneurship.
“Youth unemployment is an issue that Jacob’s Ladder Africa seeks to address by creating opportunities for and by the youth, through the incubation program,” Chelangat said.
She added, “Many start-ups fail within their first two years due to weak foundations and a lack of essential skills and resources. We aim to curb start-up mortality by addressing these exact challenges.”
Finalists drawn from counties such as Nairobi, Kiambu, and Homa Bay presented innovative ideas for building sustainable food systems powered by renewable energy.
Among the showcased projects were Solar Compost IT, which transforms organic waste into compost and bio-fertilizers; NuRa, which uses concentrated solar power to generate steam for large-scale kitchens; Smart Hive Optimization, a solar-powered IoT sensor that monitors hive conditions; and TEAtrans, a solar-powered container for transporting fresh tea leaves.
An expert judging panel, including representatives from the African Union, Yara International, and Great Carbon Valley, evaluated the projects based on innovation, scalability, and impact on women and youth.
Winners of the competition were announced during the award ceremony. Urbanus Lubano of Empire Innovations secured the grand prize of Ksh 200,000 for his renewable energy-powered agricultural machinery.
The second prize went to Solar Nest, a poultry farming solution leveraging advanced solar tracking technology, while third place was awarded to Bettinah Maruti for her iLoop KE and Logistics solution addressing food spoilage in low-income areas.
From L-R Marceline Obuya, Co-Founder, Jacob’s Ladder Africa; Urbanus Mwagangi, Empire Innovations; Nicholus Kimali, Technical Director, Ubuntu WaterHub Africa.
All finalists earned full sponsorship to join JLA’s nine-month Greenlabs Incubation Program, which provides training, mentorship, and networking opportunities to help entrepreneurs transform their ideas into viable startups.
Jacob’s Ladder Africa, a non-governmental organization, aims to catalyze 30 million green jobs across the continent by 2033.
Through programs like Greenlabs, the organization is fostering innovation and sustainable development, creating opportunities for young people to tackle the continent’s environmental and socio-economic challenges.
