AfricaIgnite, the flagship event of Africa Tech Festival dedicated to Africa’s startups and innovators, is set to host the prestigious Startup World Cup 2023’s African leg. This remarkable event will provide a platform for ten African startups to pitch their innovative ideas, with the chance to secure a spot at the grand finale to be held in San Francisco, USA, on December 1, 2023.
The Stakes: $1 Million Investment
The AfricaIgnite Start-up Pitch showcase will take place at the Africa Tech Festival in Cape Town, South Africa, in November. African early-stage start-ups and scale-ups with seed fundings of up to $15 million are invited to apply by the deadline of October 15. The finalists, to be revealed on October 30, will then present their ideas in front of hundreds of investors and tech leaders on November 16.
The winning startup of Africa Tech Festival’s pitch competition will receive an invitation to compete in the grand finale of the Startup World Cup, where a substantial $1 million investment awaits. This final showdown will feature esteemed industry figures like Barbara Corcoran from ABC’s Shark Tank, Sundeep Jain, Chief Product Officer at Uber, Daniel Sturman, CTO at Roblox, and more.
A Boost for African Startups
Africa Tech Festival’s commitment to nurturing Africa’s emerging entrepreneurs and innovators has grown significantly since its launch in 2016. The festival’s startup platform, AfricaIgnite, has become a vital force of its own, providing a networking and growth opportunity for Africa’s brightest minds.
James Williams, Director of Events at Connecting Africa, part of Informa Tech, highlighted the importance of AfricaIgnite: “Africa’s bright and forward-thinking minds need a platform to network, get inspired, and co-build a stronger tech start-up investment ecosystem, which is exactly what AfricaIgnite offers.”
Growing Startup Investment in Africa
In 2022, Africa stood out as the only region where startup investment increased, with approximately $4.8 billion invested in around 1,000 businesses. However, this figure represents only 1.2% of global startup funding. The landscape is expected to change rapidly as Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem fully embraces the digital revolution and connectivity to address local and global challenges.
While FinTech dominated with 37% of investments in 2021-2022, new sectors addressing energy, waste management, telecoms, media, entertainment, logistics, retail, agriculture, and deep tech are gaining traction. Africa is poised for innovation across various industries.
A Valuable Partnership
Anis Uzzaman, Founder and CEO of Pegasus Tech Ventures, the creator of the Startup World Cup competition, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership: “We hope this partnership creates new valuable opportunities for the competing start-ups from Africa.”
Beyond the Pitch: AfricaIgnite 2023
Apart from the exciting early-stage startup Pitch Showcase, AfricaIgnite in 2023 promises an array of content aimed at igniting innovation and entrepreneurship. The AfricaIgnite space in the AfricaTech Hall will be a hub of activity, offering networking opportunities, matchmaking between founders and investors, a startup marketplace and demo area, workshops, and masterclasses led by industry experts.
Delegates, startups, and aspiring entrepreneurs can explore topics such as navigating year one as a founder, the power of collaboration, advancing “X”-tech, startup management in challenging times, and more.
Join the Action in Cape Town
The Africa Tech Festival, the world’s largest and most influential Africa-focused technology, telecoms, and media gathering, will take place from November 13 to 16, 2023. This is the moment to be part of the action and witness significant developments in Africa’s tech ecosystem.
For more information about Africa Tech Festival 2023, visit the official website.
To apply for the pitch competition, please click here.
Explore various ticket options for Africa Tech Festival, including startup passes, here.
