Tag: TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Africa 2018

We’re entering the final days leading up to Startup Battlefield Africa 2018, which takes place on 11 December. We have our passports, we’re packing our bags and we can’t wait to arrive in Lagos, Nigeria to watch 15 of the continent’s best startups launch to the world.

Will you be there cheering the competitors and celebrating the richness of Africa’s growing startup scene? We’ve sold out of tickets to the day-long event, but — and this is great news — we set aside a limited quantity of tickets that we’re giving away for free. If you want one, act now and apply for a free ticket before they disappear.

Center stage of this day-long, action-packed event is, of course, our renowned pitch competition, Startup Battlefield. Out of hundreds of applications, we winnowed the field to 15 remarkable early-stage startups across Africa. Startup Battlefield consists of three preliminary rounds — five teams per round — followed by a final round.

Teams have only six minutes to pitch and demo their product to a panel of expert judges. After each pitch, the judges run the presenting founders through a gauntlet of tough questions. Up to five teams will move on to the finals to pitch and answer questions again.

One team will claim the Startup Battlefield Cup, along with US$25,000 in no-equity cash. Plus, the winning founders also win a trip for two and the opportunity to compete in Startup Battlefield at a TechCrunch Disrupt in 2019.

Between rounds, we have a slew of outstanding presentations and panelists scheduled to discuss the most pressing issues facing early-stage startups in the region. Check out the conference agenda, but some of the people you’ll hear and learn from include:

• Omobola Johnson, a senior partner at TLcom Capital, is the former minister of communication technology for Nigeria. Her 25-year tenure at Accenture — as managing director — informs her expansive knowledge of startup investing.
• Lexi Novitske, the principal investment officer for Singularity Investments, manages the firm’s Africa portfolio. She’s a proponent of understanding local complexities, modifying Western business attitudes and working with companies to ensure desired results.
• Marième Diop, an investor at Orange Digital Ventures Africa, focuses on early-stage African startups, and she’ll be talking all about venture capital.
• Shikoh Gitau, the head of product at Safaricom’s Alpha incubator, will share her perspective on the talent and innovation within Africa’s expanding startup landscape. She’ll also talk about repatriating entrepreneurs.

Come and join us in Lagos on 11 December. Experience Startup Battlefield Africa 2018, engage in world-class networking and spend a full day celebrating the awesome talent of the region’s startup community. All you need to do is apply for your free ticket right here.

Don’t miss your chance to bear witness as a cohort of sub-Saharan Africa’s exceptional entrepreneurs launch their early-stage tech startups to the world. Startup Battlefield Africa 2018, our premier pitch competition, takes place on 11 December in Lagos, Nigeria.

Join us to cheer on the competitors and enjoy a series of outstanding panel discussions from the region’s top tech and VC leaders. Spectator tickets cost $10 + VAT — they’re going fast, so grab your tickets today.

With more than 300 technology hubs connecting entrepreneurs across Africa, the continent’s startup scene continues to evolve and grow rapidly, which makes it an exciting time and place to be an early-stage startup founder or investor. That’s why — in addition to the Startup Battlefield competition — we’ve added exciting panel discussions to this action-packed day. We recruited a slate of experts to share their insight, discuss emerging trends and talk about what it takes to succeed in Africa’s diverse startup ecosystem.

You’ll hear from leading founders and investors alike. Here’s a sample of what to expect, and be sure to check out the full list of speakers.

• Chris Folayan, the founder and CEO of Mall for Africa, a global economy e-commerce infrastructure company that lets Africans buy directly from international online retailers in the U.S. and Europe, as well as local online retailers in Africa
• Nichole Yembra, chief financial, risk and investment officer for Venture Garden Group (VGG) and a managing partner at GreenHouse Capital
• Olaoluwa Samuel-Biyi, co-founder at SureGifts, a Nigeria-based gift card retailer and technology provider

Of course, Startup Battlefield is the star of the show, and here’s a brief rundown of how it works. The format consists of three preliminary rounds with up to five startups going head-to-head in each round. Teams have just six minutes to pitch and present a live demo to a panel of judges consisting of top tech founders and VCs. Following each pitch, the judges get six minutes to ask in-depth questions.

No more than five teams move to the finals, where they’ll pitch again to a new set of judges — and answer a second round of Q&A. The judges confer and select one outstanding startup as the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Africa 2018 champion. The winning founders receive US$25,000 in no-equity cash, plus a trip for two to compete in Startup Battlefield in San Francisco at TechCrunch Disrupt 2019 (assuming the company still qualifies to compete at the time).

The TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Africa 2018 action takes place in Lagos, Nigeria on 11 December. Tickets are limited; when they’re gone, you’re out of luck. Buy your spectator ticket today. We can’t wait to see you in Lagos!

In just about two months, the TechCrunch crew will head to Lagos, Nigeria to host the day-long, action-packed Startup Battlefield Africa 2018. Come join us and watch the founders of Africa’s best early-stage tech startups compete for the glory, cash and investor love that only Startup Battlefield provides.

We have a limited number of spectator tickets available for the December 11 event, so don’t waste time — buy your ticket here today.

We’re not kidding when we call this an action-packed day. While the Battlefield pitch competition is the crown jewel, we’re also creating a slate of outstanding speakers who will hold forth on vital topics affecting the region.

Topics like venture capital investing, something that Kola Aina, CEO and founder of Lagos-based Ventures Platform, will be on hand to discuss. And if blockchain is your bag, you won’t want to miss hearing IIyinoluwa Aboyeji’s take on that subject. He’s the founder and CEO of Flutterwave, a Lagos-based payment solution startup designed to transfer funds between Africa and abroad.

If you haven’t heard, we recently announced that Omobola Johnson, a senior partner at TLcom Capital, and Lexi Novitske, the principal investment officer for Singularity Investments, will take part in a panel discussion. Keep an eye on TechCrunch, because we’ll be announcing even more speakers in the coming weeks.

Okay, let’s talk about the main event. Startup Battlefield consists of three preliminary rounds with up to five startups in each round. Each startup team gets six minutes to pitch and present a live demo to a panel of judges consisting of top tech founders and VCs. Those judges then have six minutes to question each team thoroughly.

No more than five teams move to the finals for another round of pitches and more probing inquisition. Only one startup will emerge victoriously and claim the title: Startup Battlefield Africa 2018 champion.

The winning founders receive US$25,000 in no-equity cash, plus a trip for two to compete in Startup Battlefield in San Francisco at TechCrunch Disrupt 2019 (assuming the company still qualifies to compete at the time).

Startup Battlefield Africa 2018 takes place on December 11 in Lagos, Nigeria. Don’t miss your chance to watch Africa’s most talented startup founders launch their dream on a global stage, learn about the exciting tech trends emerging across the continent and enjoy world-class networking while you’re at it. Buy your spectator tickets here.

What’s the next best thing to competing in TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Africa 2018? Being part of the live audience and watching up to 15 of sub-Saharan Africa’s best innovators, makers and technical entrepreneurs launch their early-stage startups to the world in our premier startup-pitch competition.

Startup Battlefield Africa 2018 takes place in Lagos, Nigeria on December 11. Tickets cost 3,600 NGN and are on sale now. Join us for a full, exhilarating day and witness the birth of what could be tech’s next big thing. Buy your tickets here.

If you’ve never seen a Startup Battlefield, here’s how it all plays out. Up to five startups compete in one of three preliminary rounds. Each team gets six minutes to pitch and present their demo to a panel of expert judges (entrepreneurs, technologists and VCs). After each pitch, the judges put each team through an intense six-minute Q&A.

Only five startups move into the final round where they pitch again — to a different set of judges — and answer even more questions.

Only one startup will emerge as the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Africa 2018 champion. The winning founders win US$25,000 in no-equity cash, plus a trip for two to compete in Startup Battlefield in San Francisco at TechCrunch Disrupt 2019 (assuming the company still qualifies to compete at the time).

The entire nerve-wracking event takes place live in front of hundreds of people — including entrepreneurs, distinguished technologists, eager investors and media. It’s great exposure, a ton of fun — and a chance for you to network with other folks in the tech startup realm. It’s also the perfect opportunity to learn what Startup Battlefield is all about, and it might even inspire you to apply for the next Battlefield.

Startup Battlefield Africa 2018 takes place in Lagos, Nigeria on December 11. This region’s impressive tech startup scene is growing rapidly, and it’s an exciting time and place to be a startup. Come and see for yourself. Buy your spectator tickets today.

It’s go-time people. As in go apply right now to compete in TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Africa 2018 — do it now because in 48 short hours, the application window slams shut for good. Think you have the best early-stage startup in Sub-Saharan Africa? Do you dream on a global scale? Then come to Lagos, Nigeria on December 11 and launch your business to the world in front of the influential people who help make big dreams come true. Apply right here no later than September 10 at 5 p.m. PT.

Up to 15 of the best pre-Series A startups across Sub-Saharan Africa will compete head-to-head for the Startup Battlefield Africa 2018 championship, $25,000 in non-equity cash plus a trip for two to compete in Startup Battlefield in San Francisco at TechCrunch Disrupt 2019 (assuming the company still qualifies to compete at the time).

One of the great things about Startup Battlefield is that all participants — win or lose — benefit from broad exposure to investor love, media attention and access to an incredible network of influential technologists and entrepreneurs. That network, our Startup Battlefield alumni community, consists of more than 750 companies — including names like Dropbox, Mint, Vurb and many more — that have competed and gone on to collectively raise more than $8 billion in funds and generate 102 exits. The experience and advice these folks bring to bear can be invaluable.

Clearly our editors have a knack for picking winning startups, and they’ll scrutinize every eligible application. The chosen founders will all receive extensive, expert pitch coaching to prepare them for the six minutes they’ll have onstage to present a live demo to a panel of distinguished judges — and then answer all questions the judges throw at them. Five teams will move on to a second round of pitching and inquisition in front of a fresh set of judges.

Ultimately, one winner will rise above the rest to be Sub-Saharan Africa’s best startup. Will it be yours? The first step — before you apply — is to check whether you’re eligible to compete. Startups should:

• Be early-stage companies in “launch” stage
• Be headquartered in one of our eligible countries*
• Have a fully working product/beta that’s reasonably close to, or in, production
• Have received limited press or publicity to date
• Have no known intellectual property conflicts
• Apply by September 10 at 5 p.m. PT

Pretty standard stuff, right? So now that you’ve got that detail out of the way, don’t waste another moment. We want to see you strut your startup stuff in Lagos, Nigeria on December 11. Apply right here to compete in Startup Battlefield Africa 2018. The application window closes on September 10 at 5 p.m. PT.

*Residents in the following countries may apply:

Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Central Africa Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the foregoing language, the “Applicable Countries” does not include any country to or on which the United States has embargoed goods or imposed targeted sanctions.