Heifer International Uganda

06/10/2026

Meet RevMake Tech Company, led by Cyrus Munyagwa, the Best Agritech Business Overall at the AYuTe Africa Challenge Uganda Season 5 Awards Gala.
Awarded UGX 50,000,000 in catalytic financing.

For a dairy farmer, the journey from farm to market depends on more than producing quality milk. At the collection centre, unreliable electricity can interrupt cooling, putting milk quality at risk and leaving farmers vulnerable to rejection, spoilage and lost income.

RevMake Tech Company is tackling this challenge with a solar-powered energy system for milk coolers and refrigerators.
Established in 2018, the company integrates lithium-ion energy storage and battery-management technology to provide dependable power for cold-chain operations while reducing reliance on generators and helping minimise milk spoilage.

Field testing of the proposed power system reported 90% operating efficiency, demonstrating the potential of reliable energy to protect milk quality, sales and the margins of collection centres.
With UGX 50 million in catalytic financing, RevMake has an opportunity to take this solution further and strengthen the infrastructure that keeps milk moving from farmers to markets.

05/10/2026

Meet Afripolli Farm Tech Solutions Ltd, led by Irene Gimbo, the 1st Runner Up of the AYuTe Africa Challenge Uganda Season 5, awarded UGX 20,000,000 in catalytic financing.
For crops such as sunflower and cocoa, pollination is critical to achieving a viable harvest. Yet declining populations of natural pollinators can put farmers and their yields at risk.

Afripolli is tackling this challenge through artificial-pollination technology designed for crops that depend on manual pollination.
At the heart of the solution is the Polli Pack Unit, an artificial-pollination device designed to support farmers where natural pollination may not be sufficient. Alongside the technology, Afripolli promotes nature-based practices that help conserve natural pollinators.

With UGX 20 million in catalytic financing, Afripolli has an opportunity to take its innovation further and support farmers facing one of the less visible challenges affecting agricultural productivity.

Congratulations Afripolli Farm Tech Solutions Ltd.

05/10/2026

Meet Humi 99 Company Ltd, led by Ogwang Ambrose, and the 2nd Runner Up of the AYuTe Africa Challenge Uganda Season 5, awarded UGX 15,000,000 in catalytic financing as the 2nd runner up.

For farmers planting perennial crops, preparing the land can be a race against time. Digging planting holes by hand is slow and labour-intensive, and when the planting window is narrow, every lost day can matter.
A five-farmer pilot highlighted the need for a faster and more efficient approach.

Humi 99 is responding with mobile earth-auger technology and services that drill consistent planting holes for perennial crops.
With two operators, the machine can complete up to 280 holes in a day, helping farmers reduce establishment time and labour costs while getting more done within the planting window.

The UGX 15 million catalytic financing gives Humi 99 an opportunity to take this solution further and help more farmers make planting faster, more efficient and more productive.
Sometimes agricultural innovation is about finding a smarter way to do the work that has always had to be done.

Congratulations Humi 99 Company Ltd.

01/10/2026

An idea may be where the journey begins, but turning it into a business takes much more.
At the AYuTe Africa Challenge Uganda Season 5 Awards Gala, our “From Idea to Market” panel unpacked what it takes to move from innovation to a business that can find its customers, access financing, protect its ideas and scale.

Moderated by AYuTe alumna and Founder of FREZA Nanotech, Ainembabazi Samantha, the conversation brought together voices from entrepreneurship, finance, government and the AYuTe alumni community.

From intellectual property and financing to market access and scale, one thing was clear: building for impact means building with the market in mind.
A great idea is only the beginning. The work is turning that idea into something people need, can access and can believe in.

30/09/2026

Thank you for joining us at the AYuTe Africa Challenge Uganda Season 5 Awards Gala. Your presence meant a great deal to the young innovators and entrepreneurs advancing agriculture.

28/09/2026

1,862 IDEAS. 46 FUNDED VENTURES. 612 INCUBATES. FIVE SEASONS.

At the AYuTe Africa Challenge Uganda Season 5 Awards Gala, Mr. William Matovu, Country Director, Heifer International Uganda, reflected on the journey so far and the young people who continue to see possibility in agriculture.
This season alone, 836 young people applied to the Challenge. They looked at the opportunities within agriculture and said, “Yes, I can try to solve a problem and open doors for opportunities to better myself and others.”

For some, that meant seeing tomatoes spoil because buyers arrived too late. For others, it meant asking how better temperature control could reduce losses for poultry farmers, or why agricultural waste could not become feed or fertiliser.

That instinct, to see a stubborn problem and begin building, is the spirit of AYuTe.
And it reflects a wider commitment from Heifer International: to work towards ending hunger and poverty while caring for the earth, not simply doing things for farmers, but building solutions with them.

As Season 5 comes to a close, the numbers tell one part of the story. The ideas, people and possibilities behind those numbers tell the rest.
Five seasons in, the journey continues. GO BIG. GO BOLD.

28/09/2026

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…
The AYuTe Africa Challenge Uganda Season 5 Awards Gala brought together young innovators, entrepreneurs, partners, mentors, judges and supporters to celebrate a journey built around one bold call: GO BIG. GO BOLD.

From 836 applications to 16 Pitch Day finalists and, ultimately, 8 winners, the past three months have been a journey of ideas, learning, resilience and possibility.
The Gala was a celebration of the young people building solutions for agriculture, the people who supported their journey, and the possibilities that open up when bold ideas are given room to grow.

Missed the Gala? Watch the AYuTe Africa Challenge Uganda Season 5 Awards Gala here and relive the moments, stories and celebrations that brought the season to a close. https://www.youtube.com/live/-x2-fxdzHTI?si=3TgJQJN5W2xhJcdo

And to our Season 5 winners, the Gala may be over, but this is where the next chapter begins.

The AYuTe Africa Challenge Uganda Season 5 Awards Galacelebrates t...

18/09/2026

From prototypes and working solutions to products ready for the market, the AYuTe Season 5 Pitch Day room was filled with creativity, problem-solving and the determination to build something that matters.

Every product represented a problem identified, a solution explored and a young innovator or entrepreneur willing to take the next step.

Here’s a look at some of the products that brought the GO BIG. GO BOLD. spirit to life.

18/09/2026

FROM 836 APPLICATIONS TO 16 PITCHES.

Pitch Day marked another major milestone in the AYuTe Africa Challenge Uganda Season 5 journey.
After 836 young innovators and entrepreneurs applied, 417 passed eligibility, 205 completed the Financial Literacy for Entrepreneurship Education stage and submitted their support documents, 105 went through a three-day bootcamp, and 28 progressed to Due Diligence.

Then came the pitch.
16 participants stepped into the room to present their businesses and innovations, respond to questions and demonstrate the potential of what they are building.
Pitching is about more than delivering a presentation. It is an opportunity to communicate the problem, demonstrate the solution, understand the business case and make others see the possibility in what you are building.

At AYuTe Season 5, that possibility took centre stage.
The pitches have been heard. The next stop is the Awards Gala on 24 September, where we will celebrate the journey and reveal the Season 5 winners.

16/09/2026

James Otai is a seasoned social entrepreneur, environmental manager, and enterprise development expert with over a decade of experience across Uganda’s social impact ecosystem.

He is the Co-founder and Director of Business Development and Operations at Imagine Her (H), a local non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating the potential of women, girls, and youth as active leaders and social entrepreneurs through community-driven solutions.