Finally, the three finalists who will share the $3,000 Savvy Prize 2023 for Impact-Driven Entrepreneurs, have emerged. This Prize, running for its second year, seeks to recognize and support the efforts of Savvy Fellows working to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems through innovative and sustainable ways. This year’s Prize comes with a lot of benefits including up to $3,000 in cash prizes, product development support, and marketing endeavors.

Out of over 3,000 applications from over 130 countries (which is about 500 more than the previous year), and a rigorous judging process, 30 semifinalists emerged from 13 countries. These amazing changemakers proceeded to the final round, which included a public voting process and a one-minute pitch video submission of their projects. We received 21,733 votes from around the world within a week. With a combination of the public voting process (which accounted for 20% of the judges’ decision) and the one-minute pitch, the three finalists were selected.

Every semifinalist was very impressive, and it was such a pleasure getting to learn about their amazing projects. However, we are unable to offer every semifinalist a share in the Savvy Prize as we could only select three finalists. The one-minute video pitches we received were extraordinary, and our team was astonished by the vital and inspired work every semifinalist was doing in their communities around the world. We are grateful to every semifinalist for the great work they’re doing, for sharing their vision with us, and for their interest in the 2023 Savvy Prize. For those who weren’t selected as one of the three finalists, we invite them to continue growing their project and applying next year.

The three finalists are:

1st Prize Winner: Daniel Oseni (PeriPES) ($1,450)
Made up of clay bricks and sand water, PeriPES is a natural cooling system that preserves and stores tomatoes for up to 3 to 4 months without getting spoilt.

2nd Prize Winner: Kobusingye Mackline (Mother Support Foundation) ($1,000)
With a mobile clinic, Mother Support Foundation provides accessible, timely, and quality maternal healthcare services to pregnant women in rural Uganda, such as antenatal, delivery, and postnatal services.

3rd Prize Winner: Mahmoud Hachicha (Karni) ($550)
Karni provides a Buy Now Pay Later solution to individuals from low-income households, where they can instantly get access to funds to purchase their basic and urgent needs.

Every applicant, including every semifinalist, was judged based on if they are innovative, sustainable, community-based, original, and have a high potential for impact.