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Published: 27 Jun 2023 931 views
The entrepreneurship regional pitching competitions aim to bring in startups and SMMEs from across the continent to showcase their businesses. This will be an opportunity to highlight Africa’s innovative startups / SMMEs and a platform to strengthen each country’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC+ Africa), initiated by the Global Entrepreneurship Network in 2017, is a gathering of entrepreneurs and leaders from more than 50 African nations committed to advancing entrepreneurial activity throughout their own countries in Africa. GEC+ Africa will include other international thought leaders and practitioners globally who have become a part of GEN’s global movement that advances entrepreneurship as a means of building economies and expanding human welfare. GEC+ Africa Key Objectives Support the development of innovative startups in A... continue reading
| Application Deadline | Not Specified |
| Country to study | |
| Type | Entrepreneurs |
| Sponsor | Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC+ Africa) |
| Gender | Men and Women |
The GEC+ Cape Town adjudicators will select a total of 10 winners from the road shows who will have an opportunity to travel to Cape Town, South Africa, where GEC+ Cape Town will take place. The final pitch will have an audience consisting of investors and Entrepreneur Support Organisations from all over the continent.
The top 3 winners will share a prize of $50 000 and will have an opportunity to join an accelerator programme post the congress.
Applications will be open to tech startups at pre-seed or seed stage with at least a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and non-tech startups or SMMEs that are post revenue. Successful applicants will be invited to participate in a bootcamp which will be in preparation ahead of the pitching competitions taking place in their respective countries.
Applicants whose pitch decks are deemed suitable will be invited to pitch to judges during the lead up activity.
The below criteria will serve as a broad guideline in assessing the applicants when they present their businesses to the adjudicators:
1.The Problem Statement: has the entrepreneur(s) clearly identified the problem they are looking to solve and who this problem affects? Is the problem big enough i.e., does it point to a sizeable growing target market?
2.Value Proposition: Is the proposed solution distinct from the current solutions in the market? Does it have a clear competitive advantage?
3.The Business Case: Is the business model viable in how it intends to make money alongside its value proposition? Is this business model sustainable? Does the business have a clear strategy?
4.Team Composition: Is the team skilled and capable enough of executing on the product/service delivery and its business model?
5.The Minimum Viable Product: How effectively does the MVP showcase the value proposition? Does the MVP provide a robust foundation for further development and scaling?
6.Overall Quality of the Pitch: Was a pitch deck submitted? Was the entrepreneur prepared in their presentation and in answering questions?
Lead-Up Activities
Startup pitches and bootcamp events
Algiers: 9-10 July
Cairo: 12-13 July
Gaborone: 13-14 July
Accra: 19-20 July
Lagos: 25-26 July
Nairobi: 1-2 August
Windhoek: 8-9 August
Eastern Cape: 2-3 October
Kwa-Zulu Natal: 5-6 October
Mpumalanga: 9-10 October
North West: 16-17 October
Limpopo: 19-20 October
Northern Cape: 23-24 October
Free State: 30-31 October
Gauteng: 2-3 November
Western Cape: 7-8 November
To apply for a regional pitch competition event, please click on the apply button and fill out a short form.
For more details visit: GEC+ Africa website.
