Payaza Hackhouse Nairobi
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Ideas close Sat 26 Sept

Borderless Kenya.

Solving cross-border payments for East African trade.

Payaza brings a real problem and live payment infrastructure. Hackhouse Nairobi brings the builders. Africa Tech Academy backs the event. The goal is a working prototype with a credible path to becoming a real product, not a weekend demo.

Register your team Read the challenge
Ideas due
Sat 26 Sept · 11:59 PM EAT
Where
Hackhouse Nairobi, Kenya
Format
Teams of 3–5

Presented by

  • Payaza
  • Hackhouse Nairobi
  • Africa Tech Academy

01 — The challenge

Five places where money still stops at the border.

Pick one. Each is a Kenya-specific problem where Payaza’s multi-market cross-border infrastructure is a natural fit. Build for the person who feels it every week.

  1. 01

    Cross-border trade inside the EAC

    Traders moving goods between Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda juggle multiple currencies, slow settlement and patchwork licensing.

    Cross-border trader

  2. 02

    Gig and creator payouts

    Kenyan freelancers on global platforms lose real value to FX spreads and payout delays before the money reaches them.

    Freelancer / creator

  3. 03

    SME and exporter collections

    Small exporters in agriculture, crafts and digital services struggle to collect from international buyers without expensive intermediaries.

    SME exporter

  4. 04

    Mobile money interoperability

    M-Pesa dominates at home but does not connect cleanly to international rails or to other African wallets.

    Mobile money user

  5. 05

    Remittance cost and speed

    Diaspora-to-Kenya transfers are still expensive and slow on the classic corridors.

    Diaspora family

Build on

Payaza rails, not a mock.

Read the developer docs ↗

  • Checkout

    Collect from buyers and customers across markets.

  • Settlement

    Get funds to where the merchant actually needs them.

  • Multi-currency

    Price, receive and pay out across East African currencies.

02 — Criteria

How every build is scored.

Same five criteria for every team. A slick demo that ignores the real user, or uses Payaza only on the surface, will not place.

  1. 1

    Problem fit

    Addresses a real cross-border trade-friction problem, not a generic fintech idea.

  2. 2

    Use of Payaza infrastructure

    Meaningfully uses Payaza rails (checkout, settlement, multi-currency) rather than bolting them on.

  3. 3

    Feasibility

    Could plausibly become a real product, or at least a pilot, within a few months.

  4. 4

    User experience

    Usable by the actual target user (trader, freelancer, SME owner), not just a technical proof of concept.

  5. 5

    Presentation

    The team explains the problem, the solution and the business case clearly in a short demo.

03 — Prizes & pathway

Win cash. Then build it for real.

Cash prizes for the top three teams, split between Payaza and Hackhouse, plus a route from prototype to pilot.

  • 01 $1,000 Winner
  • 02 TBA 1st runner-up
  • 03 TBA 2nd runner-up

  1. After the event · 1

    Pilot pathway

    The top team gets a structured conversation about piloting their build with real Payaza merchants or partners.

  2. After the event · 2

    Community access

    Winners and standout teams join the Payaza developer Slack and are considered for future hackathons and events.

04 — FAQ

Questions, answered.

What is Borderless Kenya?

A hackathon run by Payaza with Hackhouse Nairobi and Africa Tech Academy. Teams build working prototypes that fix cross-border payment problems in East African trade, using Payaza’s payment infrastructure.

When is the deadline to submit ideas?

Idea submissions close on Saturday, 26 September at 11:59 PM Nairobi time (EAT). Register your team and describe your idea before then.

Who can take part?

Developers, designers, product managers and data people. You register as a team of 3 to 5 members.

Do we have to pick one of the five problems?

Yes. Your build should address one of the five problem areas. Problem fit is the first thing every build is scored on, so generic fintech ideas will struggle.

Will we get access to Payaza’s APIs?

Yes. Registered teams build on Payaza’s payment infrastructure, including checkout, settlement and multi-currency. The Payaza developer docs are the place to start.

What happens after the hackathon?

The top three teams win cash prizes. The top team also gets a pilot conversation with Payaza merchants or partners, and standout teams join the Payaza developer community.

Idea submissions close Saturday, 26 September

Bring a team of 2–5.
Build something that could ship.

Register & submit your idea

Idea submissions close Saturday, 26 September at 11:59 PM EAT.

Closes Sat 26 Sept, 11:59 PM Nairobi time (EAT)