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 South Africa are:
| Best Accelerator or Incubator Program | AlphaCode |
| Best Accelerator or Incubator Program | Faded Black Innovations |
| Best Accelerator or Incubator Program | Propella Business Incubator |
| Best Accelerator or Incubator Program | Raizcorp |
| Best Accelerator or Incubator Program | Startupbootcamp AfriTech |
| Best Coworking Space | 22 On Sloane |
| Best Coworking Space | Akintunde-Rotimi |
| Best Coworking Space | Faded Black Innovations |
| Best Coworking Space | Workshop17 |
| Best EduTech Startup | advantage learn |
| Best EduTech Startup | Assured Vocational Skills Institute |
| Best EduTech Startup | Open Omnia |
| Best EduTech Startup | Why Toyz |
| Best EduTech Startup | Zomila |
| Best Fashion Tech Startup | Zabantu |
| Best Fintech Startup | Mama Money |
| Best Fintech Startup | FinChatBot |
| Best Fintech Startup | ProfitShare Partners |
| Best Fintech Startup | Sun Exchange |
| Best Fintech Startup | Uprise.Africa |
| Best FoodTech/ AgriTech Startup | AgriLED PTY LTD |
| Best FoodTech/ AgriTech Startup | Thabosilakhu Empire |
| Best FoodTech/ AgriTech Startup | Revolute Systems |
| Best FoodTech/ AgriTech Startup | No Land Farming (Pty) Ltd |
| Best Health Tech Startup | A2D24 Dot Com Pty Ltd |
| Best Health Tech Startup | Aflu Med Healthcare |
| Best Health Tech Startup | Impulse Biomedical |
| Best Health Tech Startup | Pargo |
| Best Health Tech Startup | The Birthing Team - Dr Howard Manyonga |
| Best Media Partner | Digital Kungfu |
| Best Media Partner | NETWORK on SABC |
| Best Media Partner | Nothando Tembe Communications |
| Best Media Partner | SowetanLive (SebenzaLIVE) |
| Best Media Partner | The Loudhailer |
| Best Newcomer | LULA |
| Best Newcomer | Zaio |
| Best Newcomer | Park Up |
| Best Newcomer | Mom Says |
| Best Newcomer | Thumbchef co |
| Best Social Impact Startup | Ctrl |
| Best Social Impact Startup | LULA |
| Best Social Impact Startup | NuNanny - Melisa Allardice |
| Best Social Impact Startup | Preeva |
| Best Social Impact Startup | Sun Exchange |
| Best Startup Ecosystem Initiative | Growthwheel SA |
| Best Startup Ecosystem Initiative | ProfitShare Partners |
| Best Startup Ecosystem Initiative | Silvertree Holdings |
| Best Startup Ecosystem Initiative | Theo Wealth Group |
| Best Startup Ecosystem Initiative | The Silicon Cape Initiative |
| Best Student Startup | Zero1 Creations |
| Best Student Startup | Kukura Capital |
| Best Student Startup | Project Phoenix |
| Best Student Startup | Preeva |
| Best Student Startup | Quillo |
| Best Water Crisis Management Solution | EROKO AIME |
| Best Water Crisis Management Solution | Lige Pty Ltd |
| Brave Founder Beginnings | Akintunde-Rotimi |
| Female Role Model of the Year | Amanda Mathe |
| Female Role Model of the Year | Annu Augustine |
| Female Role Model of the Year | Lynette Hundermark |
| Female Role Model of the Year | Nsovo Nkatingi |
| Female Role Model of the Year | Thandeka Mhlanga |
| Founder of the Year | Adi Kaimowitz |
| Founder of the Year | Lars Veul |
| Founder of the Year | Velani Mboweni |
| Founder of the Year | Andrew Maren |
| Founder of the Year | Malebo Moloto |
| Investor of the Year | Kalon Venture Partners |
| Investor of the Year | Silvertree Holdings |
| Startup of the Year | FinChatBot |
| Startup of the Year | Gregory Keal |
| Startup of the Year | LULA |
| Startup of the Year | ProfitShare Partners |
| Startup of the Year | Sun Exchange |
