Congratulations to the Winner of the Milken-Motsepe Prize in FinTech!
The Milken-Motsepe Prize in AI and Manufacturing is now open for registration!
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Engineering News: How an AgriTech Prize Helped Me Realise My Life’s Work

By: Diana Orembe – Founder and CEO of NovFeed

When I was a child, I witnessed firsthand my uncle’s struggles as a fish farmer. Growing up on his farm, I saw the immense effort he put into his work, only to be met with financial challenges due to the high cost and inconsistent quality of the feed stock. I later learnt my uncle was not alone, and that African farmers across the spectrum faced similar productivity challenges. This inspired me to find a way to create meaningful change in the African agricultural sector. During my second year at university, while conducting research on the application of microbes as feed, I revisited fish farms and found that the same issues my uncle faced were still around, even ten to fifteen years later. Farmers were investing heavily in feed, often imported and expensive, which cut deeply into their profits. Seeing that these issues were still so present encouraged me to do something about it.

 

Read the full op-ed here.

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Worth Magazine: Milken-Motsepe Innovation Prize Empowers Entrepreneurs Worldwide

The Milken Institute’s strategic philanthropy initiatives, including the Milken–Motsepe Innovation Prize, are using capital to catalyze global change and empower entrepreneurs to tackle systemic challenges. At this year’s Milken Global Conference, the buzz wasn’t just about big capital but about how to use it wisely. Emily Musil, Managing Director of Social Innovation at the Milken Institute, sat down to talk about how strategic philanthropy can catalyze global change. “I sit within the strategic philanthropy pillar,” Musil explained, “which means we try to work with people to figure out the best way to use capital to have the biggest impact in the world.” That mission translates to initiatives ranging from economic mobility and fintech access to sustainable development across emerging markets.   Read the full article and watch the interview here.

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AfroAsian News: Milken Institute and Motsepe Foundation Announce Winner of the Milken-Motsepe Prize in Fintech and Launch New Prize

Prize program awards Verto the $1 million Grand Prize to advance FinTech innovations; the program also launches a new $2 million prize in manufacturing JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, May 8, 2025/APO Group/ –The Milken Institute (https://apo-opa.co/452va1L) and the Motsepe Foundation are proud to announce the winner of the Milken-Motsepe Prize in FinTech, a $2 million innovation award designed to reward companies working to expand access to capital and financial services for small businesses in emerging and frontier markets. The winner was announced at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles.Verto (https://apo-opa.co/4d7WePf), based in the United Kingdom, won the $1 million Grand Prize for its business-to-business cross-border payments platform, which enables businesses in emerging markets to send and receive payments, eliminating intermediary fees, supporting 49 currencies, and settling transactions quickly. FinTech is the third prize awarded as part of the Milken–Motsepe Innovation Prize Program, a series of competitive multimillion-dollar global competitions

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Wee Tracker: Verto Wins Big In Bid To Fuel B2B Payments For Global South

UK-based and Africa-focused fintech Verto has secured a USD 1 M boost after winning the Milken-Motsepe Prize in fintech, a prestigious award recognising companies advancing financial access for small businesses in underserved markets. The win adds to Verto’s growing credibility and firepower in an increasingly competitive cross-border payments landscape, especially in frontier economies. Founded in 2018, Verto simplifies international B2B payments for businesses navigating fragmented and often overlooked currency corridors. With support for 49 currencies, many of them exotic or thinly traded, the platform eliminates intermediary fees and accelerates settlement times. This is a game-changer in markets where traditional banking infrastructure has lagged behind. Read the full article here.

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