Abdihamid Hassan, a 23-year-old graduate from Kenya’s Isiolo County, has won the Red Bull Basement Kenya National Finals, earning a spot to represent the country at the global finals in San Francisco in June.
Hassan, who graduated in December 2024 from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology with a degree in Community Development and Environment, emerged top from more than 3,800 submissions nationwide. Fifteen finalists pitched their ideas at the competition held on March 28 at iHUB in Nairobi.
“I want to thank my fellow finalists because no idea was small. Let’s execute these ideas regardless of the outcome,” Hassan said. “I also want to thank Red Bull Basement for this amazing opportunity, and being able to showcase the solutions Kenyans want, especially in my homeland in Isiolo County.”
His idea, Arda Link AI, uses artificial intelligence and real-time satellite data to monitor livestock nutrition, track herding movements and predict drought and pasture conditions. He said the platform would be designed to work across local pastoralist dialects, targeting communities in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid regions.
The innovation aims to support Kenya’s pastoralist economy, estimated at $1.1 billion and accounting for about 90 percent of the meat consumed in the country, according to industry data. The livestock sector contributes roughly 12 percent of Kenya’s gross domestic product and supports more than 60 percent of livelihoods in arid regions.
Judges said Hassan’s project stood out for its feasibility, impact and originality.
“There were criteria we used to decide the winner. The first was idea feasibility and if it can work. The second was business impact and how it can grow. Then there was the founder profile,” said judge Tonee Ndungu. “The last one was concept uniqueness. It must be something that cannot be built anywhere else on earth.”
As the national winner, Hassan will enter a pre-acceleration phase in the United States, where he will develop a minimum viable product. The programme includes access to an AI-enabled laptop, $5,000 in Microsoft Azure credits and mentorship from global experts.
He will compete against 44 other finalists selected from a pool of 100,000 participants worldwide. The global winner will receive $100,000 in cash, $25,000 in additional cloud credits and mentorship from Red Bull Ventures.
The Red Bull Basement programme, launched in 2015 in Brazil and expanded to Africa in 2018, focuses on supporting early-stage innovators using technology to address social and environmental challenges.
“This year’s competition highlights the opportunities we have in Africa. Every African country in this competition has the chance to showcase to the world what Africa has to offer and how it can use its own innovation to solve its challenges,” said judge Wandia Gichuru.
Kenya has positioned itself as one of Africa’s leading technology hubs, attracting over $800 million in startup funding in 2024, according to industry estimates, and hosting a growing number of innovation hubs and accelerators.
“I wouldn’t want to see the 14 ideas die, I want to see them grow and, yes, I would invest in them,” said judge Bright Gameli. “The ideas can be built and scaled.”
For Hassan and the other finalists, organisers said the competition marks the start of further development rather than an endpoint, as participants look to turn early-stage ideas into scalable ventures.