Green tech challenge brings African innovators to Cape Town

Eighteen clean innovation start-ups from across Africa gathered in Cape Town for the FNF GreenPitch Challenge 2026, hosted and administered by GreenCape, a green economy development agency and City-supported Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). The winning innovator uses technology to convert human urine into fertiliser and non-potable water. Read more below:

Running since 2018, this year marks the first time that the GreenPitch challenge has expanded its reach across the African continent.

The event was opened by Alderman James Vos, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, who highlighted GreenPitch’s continued value.

‘This challenge embodies a number of elements that speak to why the City of Cape Town proudly supports GreenCape. GreenPitch is centred on finding innovative solutions to environmental and climate challenges; strengthening small businesses and helping them bring valuable concepts to market; supporting the growth of industries such as clean energy and the circular economy; and building partnerships that create new avenues of economic opportunity,’ said Alderman Vos.

About the challenge

GreenCape first launched the challenge in 2018, when Cape Town was experiencing a severe drought. In the years since, GreenPitch has expanded its mandate to cover multiple sub-sectors, including the circular economy, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, sustainable mobility, water and wastewater.

‘Its expansion into a continent-wide challenge reflects both the scale of the environmental challenges facing African economies and the opportunities these challenges create for innovation, enterprise development and investment. That is what GreenPitch is about: turning challenges into solutions and solutions into economic opportunities,’ said Alderman Vos.

The event saw 18 finalists, selected from more than 300 entries, pitch their innovations to a panel of judges and investors. The finalists included start-ups from Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa.

Winner

Pee-Cycling was named winner for its technology that converts human urine into fertiliser and non-potable water. The business was co-founded by Dyllon Randall and Caitlin Courtney, who developed the process through the Department of Civil Engineering and the Future Water Institute at the University of Cape Town.

‘All the finalists deserve recognition. These are ambitious, boundary-pushing businesses developing solutions to some of Africa’s most pressing challenges while demonstrating the commercial opportunities emerging from the green economy. The biggest congratulations of course go to Pee-Cycling for designing a product that truly exemplifies sustainability. I am especially proud that they are yet another example of Cape Town-based innovation,’ said Alderman Vos.

Pee-Cycling’s Dyllon Randall said being part of GreenPitch opened up exciting opportunities for them.

‘The FNF Afri GreenPitch gave us access to people and expertise we would not otherwise have had and pushed us to think harder about how we grow. Winning is a real boost for the team, and it comes at exactly the right moment as we move towards our first commercial urine-to-fertiliser plant,’ said Randall.

Randall also highlighted that they currently have a pilot plant at DHL Stadium. In partnership with Bidvest Prestige, the company collects urine from the stadium and converts it on site into a liquid fertiliser, recovering both nutrients and water that would otherwise be flushed away. Pee-Cycling collected 3 600 litres during the South Africa vs New Zealand rugby game. This project is still in an experimental phase and the fertiliser has not been used anywhere as yet. The DHL Stadium only uses turf approved fertiliser on the field.

‘This comes from just a single bathroom, and from just one of the four urinal troughs in it. So the scope to scale up the volume that can be collected from venues is substantial,’ said Randall.

GreenCape’s Green Finance Programme Manager, Lisa Johannson, noted the pivotal role programmes such as the challenge play for growing businesses.

‘For a green business, the hardest stretch is rarely the idea. It is the journey from first customer to first factory. That stretch is the pioneer gap, and the FNF Afri GreenPitch Challenge exists to close it, opening the way to investment in the green economy and the jobs that follow. Last night in Cape Town we celebrated that innovation, and we now pass the baton to our East Africa partners for Nairobi on 25 September, where nine more founders take their turn in front of investors,’ said Johannson.

Mattie’s Success, a Botswana-based enterprise that converts banana stem waste into safe, biodegradable hair braiding fibre, was runner-up and won the People’s Choice Award.

‘Winning both Second Place and the People’s Choice Award is an incredible honour and a meaningful validation of our mission at Mattie’s Success. This experience has given me the opportunity to share our vision while connecting with inspiring entrepreneurs and changemakers across Africa. The People’s Choice Award is especially meaningful because it shows that our story and solution resonated with the people. These two awards have strengthened my belief that African innovation can create solutions that are not only commercially viable, but also meaningful for our communities and our planet. I am deeply grateful to Afri GreenPitch for believing in and amplifying our journey,’ said Matlhogonolo Seadimo, founder of Mattie’s Success.

Developing a green economy

Alderman Vos said enabling this kind of innovation is one of the reasons the City continues to support GreenCape and its work in developing South Africa’s green economy.

‘Since GreenCape was established in 2010, it has facilitated approximately R70 billion in green economy investment and supported the creation of about 22 000 jobs across South Africa. Between 2020 and 2025 alone, the organisation supported 1 242 SMMEs, hosted more than 100 industry events, facilitated over 1 000 industry and stakeholder engagements, and produced publicly accessible market intelligence resources that have been downloaded more than 30 000 times.

‘Through partnerships such as this, we want Cape Town to remain a place where green businesses can develop new solutions, access networks and investment, grow their operations and ultimately create jobs. Bringing innovators from across Africa to Cape Town also strengthens our city’s position as a platform for green innovation, investment and collaboration on the continent,’ said Alderman Vos.

Visit GreenCape.co.za to find out more about GreenCape’s work in advancing green economy innovation, investment and industry development.