Lersha wins $100,000 Heifer Prize at MIT Solve finals
The Ethiopian agricultural platform receives unrestricted prize funding and joins the 2026 Solver class.
Lersha has won the $100,000 Heifer Prize for Smallholder Agricultural Transformation at MIT Solve’s 2026 Challenge Finals in New York. The award provides unrestricted funding and a place in the organisation’s Solver programme.
The prize supports a business focused on getting agricultural services to smallholder farmers through a combination of digital tools and local agents. Lersha links inputs and machinery services with financing and produce sales, helping farmers obtain resources before harvest and repay through market activity.
Alongside the cash award, the Solver programme offers mentoring, legal support and access to a wider network of innovators and potential funders.