SAIS is looking for innovative startups that are about to scale rapidly and apply digital solutions to the agriculture and food sector which enable their users to improve their income. In addition, digital products or services that help mitigate the impact of COVID-19 are a plus and will be taken into special consideration.
Please note that early-stage startups will not be considered for the program.
‘Scaling Digital Agriculture Innovations through Startups’ (SAIS) is a project implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The overall goal of the project is to support African startups in scaling their digital innovations; these innovations should enable users in the agriculture or food sectors to increase their income. Up to 18 startups are selected annually to participate in a nine-month Investment Readiness Programme fully funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The aim of the Investment Readiness Programme is to support more African startups in improving their business models, gaining access to investors and business partners, and achieving greater impact. Seven output indicators (also called investment readiness criteria or investment readiness output indicators) have been defined to assess and monitor the investment readiness level of selected startups.
Selection Criteria:
Mandatory criteria:
Legal representation – The startup must be registered and operating in at least one African country. – A certification of incorporation will be a prerequisite.
Team – The startup must have a team of at least two people. – The management team must be highly motivated and work at the business ideally full-time.
Digital product – The startup must have a viable digital product with a clear positive impact on its users’ income. – The product must be aligned with one of the digital technologies listed below.
Access to market and traction – The startup must have launched its digital product at least six months prior to the application period. – The startups provide evidence of good traction (customer base, first revenues)
Competitive criteria:
Business model The startup should have an easily understandable and very convincing business model (clear problem statement, clear digital solution, clear customer segment and clear revenues stream).
Customer data The startup should have access to customer data via its digital solution (number of customers and gender); if this is not the case, building customer databases will be one of the first development measures if the startup is selected for the IRP.
Level of innovation Innovative and disruptive solutions will be regarded as an asset. Solutions that help mitigate the post impact of Covid-19 will be taken into special consideration.
