Mauritius-based FinTech startup Black Swan emerged as the winner of the 2025 MEST Africa Challenge (MAC) during a vibrant Grand Finale held at Innovation City in Cape Town.
Organised by the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST Africa) and powered by Absa Group, this year’s pan-African pitch competition focused exclusively on FinTech solutions advancing financial inclusion, smarter payments, and digital transformation across the continent.
Co-founded by Derick Kazimoto, Black Swan addresses a critical barrier: millions of African consumers and MSMEs remain “invisible” to formal lenders due to fragmented and informal data. The startup transforms this scattered information into instant credit intelligence, enabling accurate affordability assessments and scalable, inclusive lending.
From hundreds of applications across eight Absa priority markets, including Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique, Seychelles, and Mauritius, finalists pitched in Cape Town. Black Swan stood out for its clear market need and potential to complement Absa’s services.
As champion, Black Swan receives US$50,000 in equity investment, entry into the MEST portfolio, and opportunities to pilot solutions with Absa units continent-wide.
Read the original article here: https://www.africa-newsroom.com/press/mauritian-startup-black-swan-wins-the-meltwater-entrepreneurial-school-of-technology-mest-africa-challenge-2025?lang=en