Southern Africa Startup Awards, a circuit of the Global Startup Awards which first arrived in Africa in 2017 and launched it Southern Africa (SADC) region in 2018, has a mission to connect, support, and celebrate key players in national and regional startup ecosystems worldwide and to fuse them together on a global entrepreneurial network.
The initiative creates a matrix of opportunities for international partnerships, commercial exchange, and investment opportunities. This is done through a ‘bottom-up’ strategy with local startup ecosystems that put the founders and startup ecosystem supporters first.
More than 2,400 nominations from organisations and individuals across 15 countries were submitted for the 2019 edition.
The national finalists from Botswana are:
| Best EduTech Startup | Francistown College of Programming |
| Best EduTech Startup | Inforserve Training (Pty) Ltd |
| Best Fintech Startup | Seriti Insights |
| Best FoodTech/AgriTech Startup | Innovative Foods |
| Best FoodTech/AgriTech Startup | TGNJ Investments (Pty) Ltd |
| Best Health Tech Startup | YAPILI |
| Best Newcomer | Artjarclinks Pty Ltd |
| Best Newcomer | Seriti Insights |
| Best Newcomer | Sands of Afrika (Pty) Ltd |
| Best Newcomer | Sustainable Cities Africa |
| Best Newcomer | TGNJ Investments (Pty) Ltd |
| Best Social Impact Startup | TGNJ Investments (Pty) Ltd |
| Best Social Impact Startup | These Hands GSSE |
| Best Social Impact Startup | The Local Slice BW |
| Female Role Model of the Year | Lebopo Golekwang |
| Female Role Model of the Year | Rethabile Konopo |
| Female Role Model of the Year | Nomsa Makgabenyane |
| Founder of the Year | Nomsa Makgabenyane |
| Founder of the Year | Sethebe Manake |
| Founder of the Year | Shimah Petrus Keakopa |
| Startup of the Year | MyFoodness |
