Cynoia, an African-built team workspace platform, has been crowned Best SaaS Startup at AfricArena 2024. The award was presented during the AfricArena Grand Summit held in Cape Town, South Africa. The event, now in its seventh year, showcased over 100 startups from 31 African countries.
Cynoia’s Chief Financial Officer, Manar Labidi, accepted the award at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The company competed against 45 startups pitching on what AfricArena founder Christophe Viarnaud calls the “stage of Africa’s future.” This recognition strengthens Cynoia’s position as a leader in the African SaaS landscape.
“We’re building the workspace that African teams actually need,” said Cynoia CEO, Nassreddine Riahi. “Our team is stronger than ever, and we’re reaching more businesses than we imagined possible when we started.”
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Leadership Evolves as Expansion Takes Center Stage
2024 has been a transformative year for Cynoia. The company helps teams collaborate while cutting software costs by up to 80%. Cynoia promoted Nermine Slimane to Chief Technology Officer, recognizing her deep knowledge of the platform’s architecture. This allowed co-founder Ayoub Rabeh to focus as Chief Product Officer. Additionally, Felipe Millan joined as Chief Marketing Officer.
The leadership team now reflects Cynoia’s commitment to diversity, with women making up 47% of the workforce. “Being closer to our users helps us understand their real needs,” said Rabeh.
In November, the company released Cynoia Version 2.0. The updated platform integrates project management, chat, video calls, and file sharing. It is designed to be bandwidth-efficient and affordable. Cynoia expanded beyond Tunisia, establishing a legal presence in Senegal and growing its user base across Africa.
AI Engine Hannibal to Launch in 2025
Cynoia is now preparing to launch Hannibal, its AI engine tailored for African teams. “Hannibal will make advanced AI accessible to businesses across the continent, regardless of their size or location,” said CTO Nermine Slimane.
The company also unveiled Cynoia Impact, a partnership initiative supporting organizations making a positive community impact. The project collaborates with startups, accelerators, and educational organizations to drive digital transformation.
Cynoia’s success at AfricArena marks a milestone for the company and a promising future for African tech innovation.