By: Hee-Dee Walenga
The Basecamp Business Incubator hosted its first Nexus Speed Pitch event of the year at the Vinyls Music Cafe in Windhoek last Thursday. The quarterly event allows founders of businesses still in the ideation phase the opportunity to pitch their ideas for a chance to win N$5,000.
The founders have three minutes to pitch their business ideas to the crowd, who then select the overall winner via votes. The prize is meant to help the founders cover early stage expenses such as acquiring the appropriate BIPA certifications.
“The objective of the event is to facilitate networking and collaboration, showcasing innovative startups and ideas, and promoting the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Namibia,” said Basecamp’s Marketing Manager, Niita Shikongo.
The five founders pitching were:
- Emily Kandanga-Erastus: Founder of Namira Haircare
Namira Haircare, officially launched on 8 March 2026, is a Namibian natural hair care brand selling products catering for natural hair. Namira currently sells a Flax Detangler Gel & a Daily Herbal Spritz, both made by hand.
“Namira Haircare was born from a desire to help women understand and celebrate their natural hair,” Kandanga-Erastus stated. Namibia imports over US$40 million in beauty products each year, with the hair care segment alone being worth approximately US$12 million, a gap Kandanga-Erastus hopes to fill.
- Fatima Camila van Wyk: Founder of NXAlingo
NXAlingo is a mobile application currently in development with the aim of teaching Namibians local languages, free of charge. The application is targeting the Sustainable Development Goals of quality education and digital transformation, in line with the sixth National Development Plan (NDP 6).
“I developed this app to give Namibians the opportunity to learn local languages on a modern and accessible platform. It is dedicated to Namibians and is made by Namibians,” van Wyk stated during her pitch. Van Wyk emphasised that the application will include all native local languages.
Existing platforms such as Duolingo do not cater for Namibian languages, a deficiency NXAlingo aims to address.
- Auguste Angala: Founder of New Image Cushions Designs
New Image Cushions Designs is a local company that creates cushions for babies. The company also offers general interior design services, allowing customers to customise their orders. Angala revealed that they are currently in discussion with Nictus, to expand their distribution channel.
“We found that in our community, when it comes to decor for nurseries, there is a severe lack due to insufficient funds to source the materials as well as a general lack of understanding of design,” Angala stated in her pitch.
- Monika Amukoto: Co-founder of Notebook Media
Notebook Media is an organisation trying to boost the local creative industry by creating an ecosystem of actors, photographers, film makers, script writers, and producers to create local films for a global audience.
“We have so much talent in Namibia, but it goes to waste because there are no jobs. We want to change that,” Amukoto stated.
The organisation focuses on developing young talent from the ground up by focusing on high school students and teaching them the ins and outs of the creative industry. “We want to create sustainable jobs in the creative industry,” expressed the Notebook Media co-founder.
- Lisa Chikovore: Founder of Asambe’sambe
Asambe’sambe is a new take on ride hailing services. The platform seeks to offer ride
hailing services by eliminating the need for a smart phone. The idea is for users to request for rides using USSD codes and communicating with the driver via SMS.
“Think of ride sharing, but offline. You don’t need a smart phone to get a ride,” Chikovore said during her pitch.
Speaking to The Villager after NXAlingo’s winning pitch, van Wyk shared that, “I feel very good to have won. It shows that hard work pays off. Basecamp provided me with a great opportunity, it is a great initiative and I hope it continues.”
