The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants® (CIMA®), the world's leading professional body of management accountants, has named KilimoChills Solution, the inaugural winner of Lions' Lair Africa following a live pitch competition at Engage Africa 2026 in Cape Town.
From left to right: Simon Bittlestone, FCMA, CGMA, co-founder and managing director of Corton Investments, past president of CIMA, past chair of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, and initiator of the Lions’ Lair project; Alfred Ramosedi, FCMA, CGMA, CIMA president and co-chair of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants; Tracy Achieng, co-founder of KilimoChills Solution and presenter of the winning pitch; and Rosalind Kainyah, MBE, sustainability expert and international speaker on ESG.
KilimoChills Solution helps market traders keep food fresh for longer, reducing food waste and increasing incomes through solar-powered cold storage. Chosen from more than 150 entrants, KilimoChills Solution won a $25,000 investment offer from Corton Investments after pitching the business to judges at Engage Africa 2026.
Presented by CIMA in partnership with Corton Investments, and sponsored by Opus Pharmaceuticals, Sage, E'Lique Advisory, and CPA.com, Lions' Lair Africa connects early-stage African sustainability and green innovation businesses with capital, mentorship and access to the huge CIMA network of business leaders. The competition brought emerging entrepreneurs before senior industry judges and an audience of more than 300 finance leaders, investors, entrepreneurs and decisionmakers.
Tariro Mutizwa, FCMA, CGMA, vice president – Africa at The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, said:
“KilimoChills Solution demonstrates exactly what Lions’ Lair Africa set out to find: an innovative and commercially credible solution to a real challenge. Across Africa, entrepreneurs are developing businesses with the potential to generate economic opportunity while delivering meaningful and measurable impact.
“Our ambition is to connect more of those businesses with the finance professionals, investors and advisers who can help turn that potential into sustainable growth. KilimoChills Solution is a strong example of what can happen when entrepreneurial ambition is matched with a practical solution that responds directly to the needs of African communities and businesses.”
Turning green innovation into investment
Lions’ Lair Africa was launched to help address one of the challenges facing early-stage African businesses: bridging the gap between a strong idea and the capital, commercial expertise and networks required to grow.
Finalists were assessed on the strength of their business proposition, sustainable impact and potential to scale. KilimoChills Solution impressed the judging panel by reducing post-harvest and market food losses through solar-powered cold storage for market traders, while demonstrating a scalable model for growth across African markets.
Simon Bittlestone, FCMA, CGMA, co-founder and MD at Corton Investments, and past president of CIMA and past chair of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, representing AICPA and CIMA, and initiator of the Lions’ Lair project, added:
“The quality of the pitches demonstrated the depth of entrepreneurial talent and ambition across Africa. KilimoChills Solution stood out because it combines a clear response to a significant market challenge with a business model that has the potential to scale. The solution helps market vendors reduce food losses while creating economic value, giving it both a compelling impact proposition and strong commercial potential.
“The $25,000 investment offer is important, but Lions’ Lair is about much more than funding. It creates opportunities for entrepreneurs to test their ideas, build influential relationships and gain the support and expertise they need to scale their businesses. We want to help promising African businesses move from great ideas to commercially sustainable ventures capable of delivering lasting impact."
Tracy Achieng, co-founder of KilimoChills Solution, who also presented the winning pitch, said:
“I am incredibly proud that KilimoChills Solution has been named the first Lions’ Lair Africa winner. This investment will help us scale our solution across Kenya and expand into markets including Ghana and Nigeria.
“Our cold-storage units are designed for market vendors, helping to reduce post-harvest and market food losses, increase daily incomes and bring cold-chain infrastructure closer to the communities that need it most. Winning Lions’ Lair gives us not only investment, but also an opportunity to take that solution to more communities and build a business that can make a lasting difference.”
The long-term ambition is to establish Lions' Lair Africa as a leading platform connecting sustainability-focused African ventures with investors, corporate partners and finance leaders, creating a recognised pipeline for the continent's next generation of high-growth businesses.
For more information about Lions’ Lair Africa, visit https://www.cvent.com/c/abstracts/937b1cbe-c319-4ba4-a42e-04b32eb9dffe
