March 29, 2026 · Cathedral Hall, Bamenda

The Startup
Pitch Competition.
The results.

Five finalist teams. Three minutes each. A panel of government and industry judges. 750+ live in the audience. 70,000 XAF in prizes. Built in 48 hours.

108 Trainees
10 Products Built
5 Finalists
70K XAF Prizes Awarded
How It Worked

From 108 trainees
to 5 finalists.

The DIRA Tech Fest 2026 startup pitch competition was not a conventional event. Every team that competed had entered the programme two days earlier with no prior product development experience and no pre-existing startup. What they built, they built from scratch, in 48 hours, with the skills they had just been taught.

On Day 1 (March 27), 108 young people were assigned to ten specialised digital skills tracks. By 11:30 AM, they were formed into ten cross-functional teams, each containing a developer, a designer, a marketer, a content creator, a brand strategist, and a pitcher. Each team received a project brief and began scoping their product before the day ended.

On Day 2 (March 28), teams returned to LTC Hall for a full-day build sprint. Track trainers became floating mentors. By the 2:00 PM submission deadline, all ten teams had submitted a working product or high-fidelity prototype alongside a two-paragraph pitch brief.

That evening, the organising committee reviewed all ten submissions against five structured criteria and selected five finalists. Teams were notified by WhatsApp at 9:00 PM.

On Day 3 (March 29), the five finalist teams took the stage at Cathedral Hall, Bamenda before an audience exceeding 750 registered attendees and a panel of government and industry judges. Each team delivered a 3-minute pitch followed by a 2-minute Q&A with the judges.

Competition Timeline

1
Day 1, March 27 108 trainees · 10 tracks · Team formation · Project briefs assigned
2
Day 2, March 28 Full build sprint · Mentor reviews · 2:00 PM submission deadline · 10 products submitted
3
Day 2, 9:00 PM 5 finalist teams selected and notified by WhatsApp
4
Day 3, March 29 · 2:10 PM Cathedral Hall · 750+ audience · 3-min pitch + 2-min Q&A per team
5
Day 3, 4:00 PM Results announced · 70,000 XAF in prizes distributed live on stage
Evaluation Framework

How teams were judged.

Each of the five finalist teams was evaluated by the panel of judges against five structured criteria applied equally to all submissions.

Problem Clarity
How clearly and specifically the team identified and articulated a real, locally grounded problem worth solving.
Solution Quality & Originality
The quality and originality of the proposed solution, whether it addressed the problem in a new or better way.
Technical Execution
The degree of technical or creative execution achieved within the 48-hour timeframe, working product vs. mockup quality.
Commercial & Social Viability
Whether the concept had a credible path to real-world adoption, commercial sustainability or measurable social impact.
Pitch Delivery & Q&A
Quality of the live 3-minute presentation and the team's ability to respond cogently to judges' questions in the 2-minute Q&A.
Official Results

The winners.

Judged live at Cathedral Hall, Bamenda on March 29, 2026 before an audience of 750+ and a panel of government and industry leaders.

🏆
1st Place
Grand Prize
Grand Prize Winner

SWMS

Smart Waste Management System

The problem: Bamenda faces significant urban waste management challenges, inconsistent collection schedules, inadequate recycling infrastructure, and no digital coordination between households, businesses, and waste services.

The solution: SWMS is a digital platform that connects households and businesses directly with waste collection services, provides real-time data on collection schedules, enables route optimisation for collection teams, and creates a structured incentive framework to encourage recycling participation across the city.

Judges' Assessment

The panel cited the product's direct relevance to a documented urban infrastructure challenge, the clarity of the team's solution architecture, and the quality of the live demonstration as the principal factors in the award of the first-place prize.

Built in 48 hours from scratch
25,000
XAF
Prize Awarded
🥈
2nd Place
2nd Place

EduSync

Educational Content & Mentorship Platform

The problem: A significant gap exists between formal education and practical skill acquisition in the Northwest Region, students complete academic programmes without access to relevant, structured digital learning resources or qualified mentors.

The solution: EduSync is an educational content platform designed to connect learners with structured, locally relevant digital learning materials and qualified mentors. The platform enables self-directed learning tailored to the Northwest Region's employment and entrepreneurship landscape.

Built in 48 hours from scratch
20,000
XAF
Prize Awarded
🥉
3rd Place
3rd Place

Vendly

Local Vendor Digital Marketplace

The problem: The majority of local vendors and small businesses in Bamenda operate informally, with limited visibility beyond their immediate physical location. This restricts their growth, limits customer reach, and makes them invisible to institutional buyers and the growing urban consumer base.

The solution: Vendly is a digital marketplace platform enabling local vendors and small businesses to list, promote, and transact with a verified local customer base, addressing the informality and visibility barriers that limit the growth of micro-enterprises across the Northwest Region.

Built in 48 hours from scratch
15,000
XAF
Prize Awarded
4️⃣
4th Place
4th Place

Boloconnect

Informal Labour Marketplace

The problem: A large population of informal job seekers in Bamenda, artisans, tradespeople, and unskilled youth, has no reliable way to connect with households and businesses that need their services. The gap between available labour and local demand goes largely unaddressed through formal channels.

The solution: Boloconnect is a platform connecting informal job seekers directly to those who need their services, creating a structured, accessible marketplace for labour that currently depends entirely on word of mouth and proximity.

Built in 48 hours from scratch
10,000
XAF
Prize Awarded

Total Prizes Distributed, 70,000 XAF

All prizes were distributed live on stage at Cathedral Hall, Bamenda on March 29, 2026, before the full festival audience. Prize distribution was witnessed by representatives of three government ministries and NFC Bank's Regional Manager.

🏆 SWMS, 1st Place 25,000 XAF
🥈 EduSync, 2nd Place 20,000 XAF
🥉 Vendly, 3rd Place 15,000 XAF
4️⃣ Boloconnect, 4th Place 10,000 XAF
Total Distributed 70,000 XAF
What Comes Next

Bamenda Tech Startup Coalition, Officially Seeded

The creation of ten startup ideas at DIRA Tech Fest 2026, with four of the winning teams now under DIRA's active mentorship for legal registration, product development, and growth, positions DIRA as a youth-led startup incubator for the Northwest Region.

The Bamenda Tech Startup Coalition was officially seeded at DIRA Tech Fest 2026, bringing together young founders, digital entrepreneurs, and institutional stakeholders committed to building the digital economy of the Northwest Region. SWMS, EduSync, Vendly, and Boloconnect are among the founding cohort.

DIRA Tech Fest 2027 will include a dedicated startup funding track to support the most promising ventures from previous editions, creating a continuous pipeline from idea to registered business.

4 Winning teams now in DIRA's mentorship programme
Continue Exploring

Read the full story.

The pitch competition was one moment in a three-day festival that trained 108 people, hosted a government summit, and launched a product before 750+ attendees.

Full Event Recap View Gallery Tech Summit Speakers