The entrepreneurship regional pitching competitions aim to bring in startups and SMEs 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.
Applications will be open to tech startups at the 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 boot camp which will be in preparation ahead of the pitching competitions taking place in their respective countries.
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 program post-congress.
Lead-Up Activities (Startup pitches and boot camp events)
Rest of Africa
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
South Africa
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
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 sizable 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 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?
