06 May The Top 10 Are In: Startup of the Year 2026 Moves to the Final Stage

Out of 40 startups assessed in this year’s Startup of the Year process, ten have made it through to the final stage!

Reaching this point means more than submitting a strong application. It means showing enough evidence – in traction, in clarity, and in execution – to stand up to a more rigorous filter.

This year’s process, delivered in collaboration with The Open Letter and supported by ABSA and Payfast by Network, was designed to move past surface-level storytelling and focus on a more direct question: does the business actually work?

And just as importantly, can the founder communicate that under pressure?

From Ecosystem Signal to the Final 10

Each company was assessed across six criteria, with traction carrying the most weight. Without real usage, revenue, or proof points, the rest becomes difficult to defend.

What comes through in the Top 10 is not just well-constructed pitches, but a set of businesses that have already begun to find their footing. In different ways, each one reflects a clear understanding of its market and a practical approach to building within it.

The cutoff score for this stage landed at 70, which only a small portion of entrants were able to reach.

The Top 10 for 2026

Opus Cactus is building an industrial cactus bio-economy that turns semi-arid land into usable outputs across energy, agriculture, and materials. The model is grounded in physical production, which gives it a level of tangibility that is often missing in early-stage ventures.

Still Good operates in the retail and food space, with a model that has already translated into measurable savings at scale. The strength here lies in execution and a clear, accessible value proposition.

Crab A Ride has built a WhatsApp-first mobility platform that has already facilitated tens of thousands of rides. The level of usage provides a strong signal that the demand it is addressing is real and immediate.

FindHomes is introducing natural language search into property, a category that has seen relatively little change in how users interact with listings. The approach positions it as a different kind of entry point into an established market.

The Surgical Assistant connects available medical professionals with surgical demand, addressing a structural inefficiency within the healthcare system. It is a model that carries both commercial potential and broader relevance.

Udok represents a more mature stage within the group. As a telehealth platform already operating at scale, its focus shifts from validating the category to strengthening its position within it.

Berth focuses on marina operations, a niche that is often overlooked but operationally complex. By building software for this environment, it positions itself in a category with relatively little direct competition.

Fintura targets accounting firms with a focus on compliance and workflow management. While narrow in scope, the problem it addresses is recurring and well-defined, which tends to support adoption.

Taptic is an African edtech platform making learning resources more accessible to students across the continent through free past papers, study materials, and curriculum-aligned digital tools designed for local education systems.

TurnStay is a Cape Town-based travel fintech platform helping African travel businesses simplify cross-border payments, reduce transaction costs, and improve international booking conversions through localised payment infrastructure built specifically for the travel industry.

What This Group Signals

Taken together, the group reflects a shift toward more focused, grounded businesses. Rather than broad, loosely defined ideas, these companies tend to operate within clearly defined problem spaces, with value propositions that can be explained without much abstraction.

There is also a mix of stages, from early products to more established operations. What they share is that each has moved beyond concept into something that can be tested, questioned, and assessed in a more practical way.

What Happens Next

The Top 10 now move to a live final, where they will present in front of a panel of judges drawn from across the ecosystem, with audience scoring contributing on the night.

At this stage, the emphasis shifts. The framework that guided the initial selection becomes less visible, and what matters is how the business holds up in real time. Assumptions are tested, numbers are interrogated, and positioning is either reinforced or challenged.

For the founders, this is where clarity becomes critical. The ability to explain what they are building, why it matters, and how it works needs to land quickly and convincingly.

See It Play Out Live

On 14 May, Innovation City brings together founders, investors, and operators for an evening of high energy fun!

For anyone working closely with startups, whether building, backing, or supporting them, it provides a useful perspective on where momentum is forming and how it is being evaluated!

Seats are limited. 

Join us on 14 May and watch it unfold here.