Loop Wins at Africa Tech Week 2025

Cape Town-based startup Loop Taxi (Loop) has won top honours at this year’s Sentech Africa Tech Week, clinching first place at the Pitch Den Awards. The company outperformed six other top African startups, with CEO Imtiyaaz Riley impressing judges through Loop’s bold approach to digital payments and mobility solutions for emerging markets.

Founded to digitise and formalise the minibus taxi industry, Loop has developed a chat-based system that allows users to send and receive payments directly via WhatsApp. This innovation allows for instant, zero-cost transactions - without the need to download additional apps or invest in point-of-sale devices.

Loop’s win at Africa Tech Week, cements its position as a rising force in Africa’s digital transformation, particularly in driving financial inclusion and supporting small businesses in the shift from cash to secure digital transactions.

The award follows the venture’s strong showing at GITEX Europe in Germany. Loop’s success also reflects the strength and dynamism of Cape Town and South Africa’s growing tech ecosystem.

“Our win at Africa Tech Week is more than a trophy — it’s a signal that Africa is ready for real, homegrown innovation,” said Riley. “Loop was built in the heart of Cape Town to solve challenges we’ve lived through. We’re not just digitising payments — we’re rewriting how value moves in communities that have long been excluded. This recognition strengthens our resolve to scale meaningful tech across the continent, unlocking opportunity where it’s needed most.”