At the SiGMA Africa 2026 Summit held at GrandWest Casino and Entertainment World, Cape Town, the SiGMA Pitch Africa 2026 brought together founders, investors and industry stakeholders to showcase innovation and upcoming entrepreneurs in Africa. The pitch competition was an exciting opportunity for the participants to find the next major Startup that would be born out of Africa. SiGMA Pitch continues to showcase how it has become a pivotal resource for startups by enabling them to present their business ideas to visionaries like themselves, alongside finding partnership opportunities, mentors, and Investors.
Founders take the stage
There were three very enthusiastic founders, with each founder presenting a unique business model and an equally unique approach to their specific market.
They included:
- Jason Fitch, CEO of BetterFlip;
- Teddy Rigby, CEO of Bet-Pal;
- Nick French, CEO of BetMatch.
The event was hosted by Nozibusiso Sibiya, who is one of the most respected personalities in multimedia and television sports journalism. He demonstrated great professionalism and enthusiasm while facilitating the presentations delivered by each of the competing founders and providing them with an opportunity to present their concept for the business and share how they plan to achieve success through their goal. In addition, it allowed the audience to witness not only the innovative nature of the respective businesses but also the level of commitment, determination, and sound strategic planning by the three competing founders.
Judging panel and evaluation
The selection committee was made up of highly experienced professionals in the fields of gaming, technology and venture capital/finance: John Maylam, founder, 7Qz and Playrz; Moshe Adir, founder, Vegas Kings; and Philip Ellis, founding Software Engineer, CHRT. Each company’s pitch was judged on multiple criteria – clarity of vision, market opportunity, scalability, and execution. As a result, judges were able to ask probing questions that pushed founders to articulate their growth strategies convincingly and establish a well-defined path to achieving growth. This proven methodology is a critical part of the selection process for determining whether a company has a viable concept and credible plan for sustainable success.
BetMatch emerges as the winner
Following a dynamic series of presentations and discussions, BetMatch was declared the victor of SiGMA Pitch Africa 2026. The judges lauded BetMatch’s robust value proposition, clearly articulated go-to-market strategy, and ability to showcase both technical capability and commercial sustainability.
In receiving the award onstage, CEO Nick French thanked the host and judges. “I don’t like to give long speeches, but I really appreciate the judges’ decision,” he remarked. He went on to say, “I have been working in this industry for 20 years, building credibility and trust and through hard work and dedication.” His comments highlighted the endurance and expertise that are required for any new business to succeed in a highly competitive marketplace.
About BetMatch
BetMatch is a regulated betting exchange and prediction markets platform built for the African market. Unlike traditional bookmakers, BetMatch operates a peer-to-peer exchange model where users bet against each other, creating transparent odds and deeper liquidity.
By combining a South African betting licence with global exchange infrastructure and liquidity partnerships, the platform aims to introduce exchange-based wagering to a region historically dominated by fixed-odds bookmakers.
Co-founded by Cape Town entrepreneur Nick French, BetMatch is positioning itself as one of the first platforms bringing exchange betting and prediction markets to Africa at scale.
Platform for growth and innovation
The SiGMA Pitch competitions have become a crucial part of the series of summits, where startups can showcase their ideas to investors, mentors, and experts while gaining much-needed exposure. Winning the competition does lead to immediate recognition, but the company gets much more than just that. The participating companies gain the chance to create strategic relationships, receive valuable feedback on their product/service ideas and showcase their company/business with an audience comprised of key decision-makers. An important aspect of the initiative is that it helps drive innovation by showcasing the increasing number of technology-driven startups in Africa and demonstrating the possibility of Africa’s impactful contribution to the global marketplace.
The SiGMA Pitch Africa program will continue to foster relationships that support the development of scalable, investor-quality businesses in Africa. The competition in 2026 highlighted not only the quality of the competing startups, but also the great deal of talent, originality and entrepreneurial spirit currently developing in Africa.
For further details on the global SiGMA summit series and upcoming pitch opportunities, visit the SiGMA website.
