Heifer International Kenya has announced applications for the 2025 AYuTe Africa Challenge Kenya, initiating a new round of funding and technical support for young innovators developing agritech solutions for smallholder farmers. The fourth edition of the challenge offers youth-led startups a share of KES 9.4 million alongside mentorship, advisory support, and access to investor networks. Applications close at midnight on 28 November 2025.
AYuTe, which stands for Agriculture, Youth and Technology, was created to expand the pipeline of youth-driven innovations capable of improving productivity, reducing production losses, and strengthening market access for farmers. The initiative responds to a persistent challenge in Kenya’s agriculture sector: while young entrepreneurs continue to develop promising ideas and tools, few have access to early-stage capital, coaching, and practical pathways to scale their solutions to rural communities.
“We are looking for solutions that can show real improvements in the incomes and resilience of smallholder farmers,” said Wairimu Munyinyi-Wahome, Country Director, Heifer International Kenya. “Our focus is on technologies with clear potential for impact, not just good ideas, but tools young entrepreneurs can build into sustainable businesses. AYuTe is one of the ways we are ensuring youth see agriculture as a modern, profitable, and technology-driven opportunity.”
Since its inception in 2022, AYuTe Africa Challenge Kenya has received over 600 applications, with more than 350 youth innovators. The Challenge has provided funding support to 19 startups totalling USD 93,460 (KES 9.4 million) across previous editions to translate their business expansion strategies into tangible impact for smallholder farmers.
Previous participants have already deployed practical solutions in the field. Linda Kamau, CEO and Co-Founder of Sow Precise Africa, shared how AYuTe has been instrumental in scaling her innovation and strengthening impact among smallholder farmers. “AYuTe has given me the platform to connect with other founders driving innovations at different stages, which has motivated us as a company to grow and better understand what to expect along our journey. It has also provided the space to refine our ideas, evolve, and build sustainability, not only for our business but also for the smallholder farmers we serve, ensuring lasting impact.”
This year’s Challenge prioritises innovations in beef, dairy, poultry, and horticulture value chains, aligning with Heifer Kenya’s flagship Practice for Change (P4C) programme, which aims to support 625,000 households on their path to achieving a sustainable living income. Startups are invited to present solutions that tackle challenges in production, aggregation, post-harvest management, value addition, market access, and financing, areas where young entrepreneurs can accelerate growth and resilience for farming communities.
To ensure national representation, applications are open to enterprises from four regional blocs: Nairobi, Central Regional Economic Bloc, Lake Region and North Rift blocs, and Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) and Coastal counties.
The top eight startups will receive a share of the KES 9.4 million award pool. Support includes up to six months of customised business advisory support, mentorship from agriculture and enterprise specialists, technical assistance and implementation support, investor linkages and ecosystem networking opportunities, and access to training bootcamps covering business modelling, market validation, and financial planning.
The 2025 edition is delivered in partnership with the Embassy of Sweden in Kenya, through the Kenya Livestock Market Systems Project (KLMP), and the Kenya Climate Innovation Centre (KCIC). KCIC will provide technical support, which will include screening, enterprise acceleration and post-challenge business support, providing coaching, technical assistance, and strategic linkages to help enterprises scale and achieve sustainable impact. “This partnership allows us to identify high-potential agritech solutions and support youth-led enterprises with the technical assistance, financing, and market linkages they need,” said Joseph Murabula, CEO of the Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC). “By bringing together KCIC’s innovation ecosystem and Heifer’s on-the-ground expertise, we can advance climate-smart innovations and strengthen the resilience of smallholder farmers.”
Applications will be received through an online platform under two categories: Track 1, which targets enterprises at the idea, proof of concept, or prototype stage; and Track 2, which focuses on enterprises with a product already in the market and aiming to scale. The deadline for applications is 28th November 2025 at 11:59 PM EAT. Applications will be received through the AYuTe application portal at https://www.kenyacic.org/ayute-innovation-challenge/
