What is the name of your organization?
Growwr
What is the name of your solution?
Growwr
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
AI smart skill-based models connecting Africa’s skilled youth with verified jobs and secure payment, reducing unemployment crisis for 50M youth
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Lagos, Nigeria
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
Nigeria
What type of organization is your solution team?
For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Sub-Saharan Africa has over 53 million unemployed youths (ILO). The job market is broken—hiring is inefficient, talent is undervalued, and payment security is unreliable. Growwr solves these issues at the root. Our AI, skills-based vetting, and financial inclusivity eliminate bias, fasten hiring, and ensure talent gets paid securely. We've already solved this problem for 1,000 professionals; MIT Solve can help us solve the next 10,000.
Africa has 6x more unemployed people than the U.S., making job hunting feel like the Hunger Games. 9 in 10 African job applicants are unqualified for the roles they apply for (The Cable).
Businesses struggle to find skilled professionals, taking an average of three months to hire, yet 54% of recruiters still end up with unqualified hires. Meanwhile, 90% of African talent faces underemployment, with 74% experiencing payment delays and 16% never getting paid.
Skills mismatches worsen the crisis—70% of Sub-Saharan African graduates lack industry-relevant competencies, leaving businesses with a small, competitive talent pool. Traditional hiring lacks vetting systems, and 4 in 5 freelancers work offline, creating uncertainty in project execution and payments.
This inefficiency costs Africa $4.5B annually in lost productivity (UNDP).
What is your solution?
Growwr has helped over 1,000 African professionals 4x their income in under six months– proving that skill-based hiring drives real economic impact. Unlike competitors who leave talent vulnerable, Growwr fosters a trust-based ecosystem where businesses and talent thrive. In less than a year, we have processed over 5,000 jobs, and talent has earned over USD 500,000 from our platform.
How did we do it?
Growwr uses advanced vetting algorithms to onboard talent. Talent must pass a vetting process and verify their identity and educational credentials using a test, KYC system, and automated credential verifier.
When a job is posted, Growwr’s AI analyzes our talent pool to identify the best match based on skills and competence, ensuring the right fit for every project or role.
Unlike traditional job sites that rely on ads or paid visibility, Growwr eliminates location bias and pay-to-play hiring, using AI to match talent on verified skills and expertise.
We’ve integrated African currencies, enabling local payments without hidden fees—something most international platforms overlook. We tackle theft, scams, and unpaid labor with a secure escrow system that verifies every job and protects payments until successful completion.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Growwr addresses high unemployment problems by connecting skilled professionals with fair-paying jobs and businesses with qualified Africa-based talent. As unemployment rates continue to persist, by 2050, “more than a third of the world’s young people [ages 15-24] are expected to be African” (https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/01/empower-africa-s-youth-to-create-jobs-growth-and-peace/ ).
We track impact using job placement rates (5000+ jobs placed), earnings growth (USD 500,000+ earned on Growwr), talent retention (100%), and employer satisfaction (96%). Our company’s mission aligns with SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 8 (Decent Work), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).
Many African youths are heavily underpaid, earning less than $2.15 a day (https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/lifestyle/african-countries-where-employed-youth-live-below-dollar215 ). Growwr is changing this, having already helped 100% of our talent pool earn 4x their income in less than 6 months.
The intended impact of Growwr is to unlock economic opportunities for 200+ million African tech talent and change the way global hiring is processed. Great talents are everywhere, and our mission is to provide African talent with employable opportunities on the global stage. With our products, we will reduce underemployment in Africa.
