The AnitaB.org Systers Pass It On Awards Program has opened its applications, for entries, across the continent.

The award is, set to honour Anita Borg’s desire, to establish a network of women technologists, who can render help, to one another.

The cash awards will encourage women, who are into computing, or, any project that, can inspire and give support, to girls and women, venturing into the field of computing.

The whole aim of the program is, to “pass on” the gains benefitted, from the award, which in the long run, would create a movement that assists women, in supporting their fellow women.

Generous donations, from the Systers, (Online community, established by Anita Borg, in the late 1980s)
$1,000 USD is, up for grabs, for this awards program.

Criteria for selection

• It is open to any woman, irrespective of the country, provided she is above 18.
• She must be aspiring, for a career, in the field of computing

The award program encourages applications, from a variety of projects including:

• A broader project that benefits girls and women
• Assistance with educational fees and materials
• Assistance with studies, job transfers, or, other transitions in life
• Mentoring and other supportive groups, for women in technology, or, computing
• Partial funding source, for larger scholarship
• A partial funding source for technical conferences
• Projects that seek to inspire more girls and women, to go into the computing field

How to apply

Eligible female candidates can go ahead to apply, via the AnitaB website. The deadline for application is Thursday, March 26, 2020.

Featured Image: AnitaB.org

African entrepreneurs, with innovative solutions, that can foster the growth of sustainable cities, can apply for the program and should be ready, to present their innovations, at the “Challenge des 1000”, during the Africa-France 2020 Summit.

The launch of the “Challenge des 1000”, or the Challenge of 1000 by France, invites up to a thousand entrepreneurs, on the continent, with their solutions, to be presented, at the Cité des Solutions.
This location is, an exhibition dedicated, to solutions that can foster sustainable cities. The Africa-France Summit would take place, in Bordeaux, from June 4, 2020, to June 6, 2020.

Criteria for selection for the challenge of 1000 include:

• Registration on the Digital Africa platform
• An African entrepreneur, having activities, related to any one of the 7 districts of the Cité des Solutions
• Having a balance of themes, across the 7 districts
• Having a gender parity, of the 1000 entrepreneurs
• Origin of the entrepreneurs must strike a geographical balance
• The innovative solution must be at a lower cost, with a strong impact

The City of Solutions, to be created, must show the following, as part of its features:

• Develop and beautify the city
• Financing and structuring projects
• Feeding the cities
• Getting around the city / visiting the city
• Living in the city
• Access to essential services
• Connect the city

How to apply

If, you are an African entrepreneur, then, go ahead, to apply here for the Challenge of 1000. The deadline for application is Friday, January 3, 2020.

Pitch Live @ Africa Startup Summit Opens Application

The Africa Startup Summit, in collaboration with tech publication, Disrupt Africa, has opened an application, for the 2020 edition, of its Pitch @ The Africa Tech Summit.

Held annually, on the continent, the Africa Start-up Summit, will see the convergence, of tech start-up stakeholders, in Kigali, Rwanda, between February 4 and February 6, 2020.

The aim of the tech summit is, to foster partnership, problem-solving, engagement, while establishing meaningful connections, among start-ups, stakeholders and investors.

In a statement released, towards the end of November 2019, Disrupt Africa, had said that, it will select 10 start-ups that would get to pitch, at the tech summit’s stage, before an audience of, more than 500 people, including corporate partners and investors.

Start-ups selected for Pitch Live @ Africa Startup Summit, will be granted access, to all the remaining events.

These events will include Africa Future Summit, Africa Money & Blockchain Summit.

It will, also, involve some workshops and networking.

According to Tom Jackson, Co-founder, Disrupt Africa, the participating start-ups, from last year, “really gained a lot”, from taking part, in the initiative, with tangible outcomes, in terms of funding and growth.

Criteria For Participation

Start-ups, willing to participate in the Pitch Live @ Africa Startup Summit must:

• Be a start-up of fewer than 5 years
• Have at least, one Co-founder, from Africa
• Have an office, with headquarters, in Africa
• Have at least, a Minimum Viable Product, (MVP)
• Have raised, less than $1-million, in external funding

How To Apply

If your start-up has satisfied the stated criteria, you can go ahead to apply on this website. The deadline for applications for the tech summit is Monday, January 6, 2020.

Featured Image: africatechsummit

In just, about two weeks, in the Month of December 2019, fintech start-ups, on the African continent, can apply for the Catapult: Inclusion Africa.

The program is, a fintech bootcamp, coming up from March, 1 2020, to March 8, 2019, in Luxembourg. In its second edition, the program has twelve spots available, for the 1-week training and networking Bootcamp.

The program is, fully funded, by an initiative of the Luxembourg House of Financial Technology, (LHoFT), with sponsorship, from Luxembourg Aid and Development, as well as, PWC.

The bootcamp is, set to promote and pull necessary attention, to the relevance of value, for the role of fintech, in driving the financial inclusion narrative.

The program would achieve this, by media exposure, both locally and internationally, alongside a focus, on having broad attention, on the initiatives that drive positive changes, on the continent.

With more focus, on African fintech start-ups, working on making financial inclusion improvement, on the African continent, the bootcamp is, eager to close the gaps existing, between Europe and Africa.

The program’s scope, would cover a range of topics, including marketing and legal strategy, presentation of a business plan, HR policy, business model mapping and pricing.

Beyond this, the bootcamp will, also, give support, for fintech promotion and for the purpose of financial inclusion, for the finance sector, in Luxembourg, which will include fund managers, microfinance institutions and finance initiatives, operating privately.

Criteria For Selection

Consideration for the bootcamp is, dependent on the following criteria:

• The start-up must be from pre-seed to Series-A
• Must have a defined focus, on financial inclusion
• The solution offered, must be applicable, to Africa directly
• The solution must have an existing minimum viable product, (MVP)
• Must have a business validation
• Have a team that covers vital areas, such as, technology, development, operations and sales
• Possess a solution that can benefit anyone of the microfinance institution, traditional financial institution, or, private finance initiatives, through partnership

How To Apply

If you satisfy all the requirements stated, then, you can go ahead to apply for the Catapult Inclusion Africa 2020 here. Deadline for application is, Tuesday, December 31, 2019.

Asset and Resource Management, (ARM) and Ventures Platform, have launched Labs by ARM 2.0, a 12 weeks FinTech-Focused Accelerator Program, designed to support the best early-stage companies, solving critical problems in the financial industry.

This program is designed, to get the start-ups to some level of product-market-fit and to, massively, acquire more users.

The program will, also, engage post-MVP FinTech start-ups, in a series of activities, aimed at, exponentially, advancing the growth of their companies, within a short time frame and ensuring their investment-readiness.

During the 12-week program which will run from February to May 2020, experts will work, intensively, with each start-up; primarily on product, market and team.

Benefits Of The Program

Successful start-ups will receive:

• $20,000+ funding
• Access to support, workspace and mentorship
• Access to ARM/VP networks and investors
• Scale your start-up
• Valuable industry insight and more

Criteria For Application

Participating fintech start-ups:

• Startups should be solving an important problem, for a highly engaged set of customers
• Should be post-MVP start-up
• Should be operating in the FinTech space
• Should be post-revenue
• Should have a working product in the market

Participating start-ups should have a well-rounded, complementary team, i.e., in-house capacity for product vision, (what to build), technology, (how to build it) and business, (how to make money from it).

Read, ARM Partners With Ventures Platform To Launch Fintech Accelerator

Key Areas Of Interest Are:

Solving problems in customer experience, process automation and improvement(including transaction and customer care response speeds) and operational cost reduction.

How To Apply

If you have satisfied the criteria stated above, you can go ahead, to join the fintech revolution in Nigeria, by applying for the Labs by ARM 2.0 program here.

The deadline for application is, Monday, December 30, 2019.

Kindly note that Applying early, gives start-ups, a slight advantage, as the organisers, will have enough time, to review your application.

The AgriLab program has opened its applications, to assist early-stage Agri-tech start-ups to grow.

This growth process will see them pass through mentorship and funding.

The program is, a partnership, between Ventures Platform, an Abuja-based tech incubator and the Irish Embassy.

Ventures Platform incubates and supports start-ups, through its investment fund and Not-for-Profit arm.

The partnership aims at assisting agri-tech start-ups, to meet up, with the requirements of Nigeria’s rapidly growing population.

The focus of AgriLab is, the agri-tech sector and it is the area that, Ireland has demonstrated its leadership, globally.

The partnership is an indication that Nigeria is in need of developing its agricultural sector.
Nigeria needs to develop, in order to diversify its economy and meet the demands, of a fast-growing population.

Eligibility And Selection Criteria

A Nigerian, with a business idea, in the Agri-tech space that, identifies the problem it solves.
A business model that is both, sustainable and scalable
Resident in Nigeria
Applicant must be between the ages of 18 – 35
Available to take part in the entire program, if selected
Able to travel to Ireland, for a business visit
In possession of a valid International Passport

Benefits Of The Programme

In a 3-day ideation workshop and Bootcamp, selected start-ups will get to learn the required knowledge that will enhance their acceptance, into the incubation programme.
Participants will be exposed to mentorship and workshop.
Participants will get a seed capital of $2000
An all-expense paid trip to Ireland. The winner will get to meet with potential investors and business partners.

How To Apply

If you are in the Agric-tech start-up space and you have satisfied the criteria for selection listed above, you can, then go ahead to apply, for the AgriLab programme here.

The deadline for the application is Wednesday, December 18, 2019.

One Young World, (OYW), has launched the second round for Lead2030.
The Lead2030 challenge is, the largest prize funding, for young leaders, aiming at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, (SDGs).
It is supported, by the Challenge Partners, (Businesses working with One Young World), who have committed a prize of $50,000.

The inaugural Lead2030 Challenge Winners were each awarded $50,000 in addition to 12 months of executive mentorship from their Challenge Partner to help amplify their impact as they tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues.
Asides from the financial commitment of these partners, they have, also, pledged to offer mentorship support, to assist the young leaders, on their journey, in tackling the SDGs challenges.
Here is a list, of the challenge partners and the SDG:

• RB. SDG 2, (Zero Hunger)
• AstraZeneca. SDG 3, (Health & Well-being)
• Deloitte SDG 4, (Quality Education)
• RB SDG 6, (Clean Water & Sanitation)
• BP SDG 7, (Affordable & Clean Energy)
• Standard Chartered. SDG 9, (Industrial Innovation & Infrastructure)
• Bristol-Myers Squibb SDG, (10 Reduced Inequalities)
• Mondi Group SDG 12, (Sustainable Consumption and Production)
• Credit Suisse SDG 14, (Life underwater)

Selection Criteria

Applicants would be selected, based on:

• Significant alignment with SDG 2
• Age of founder, between 18 – 30.
• The solution must have passed the implementation phase.
• Impact driven solution (creating jobs, or, developing skills)
• Must be, financially viable, by achieving efficiency and surviving, independently, via the resources generated, by investment and donation.
• Potential to perform after expansion (Scalability)

Benefits Of The Award

• The winner will receive a US$50,000 grant from RB
• A 12-month mentorship program, with RB professionals

The mentorship team will work to accelerate your solution, based on the needs of your initiatives, or, organisation, such as:

• Business strategy
• Best practices for data collection
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Product design

How To Apply

If you have satisfied the criteria mentioned above, then, proceed to apply via the website. The deadline for applications is Thursday, January 5, 2020.

Applications for the Start-up Energy Transition, (SET), Award 2020 is, on for entries.

It is a global initiative award. under the German Energy Agency, (Dena,) in partnership with, the World Energy Council.

Eligibility for participation

Applicants into the SET awards can only apply, to one category, which will be mentioned, subsequently.

Any further applications, into any category, would be nullified, including applications to the Special Prize on Quality Access & SDG-7.

• Participating start-ups must not have exceeded 10 years of existence.
• Applications and every attached document must be submitted, in the English Language.
• Participating start-ups must have a functioning prototype.
• The start-ups must have registered, or, been in the process, of registering with a proof of concept and institutional partner.
• Entries must be filled, completely, as all, partially, completed entries, will not be accepted.

Categories For The Awards

As mentioned earlier, please note that applicants can, only, enter into one of the categories below:

• Category 1: Renewable Energies & Materials
• Category 2: Digital Energy Systems
• Category 3: Energy Efficiency Solutions
• Category 4: Smart Mobility
• Category 5: Special Prize: Quality Access & SDG-7

Benefits Of Participation

SET has made the award program, a value-added one, such that, no matter how far you go, in the SET process, there is something beneficial, awaiting you.

Start-ups that have participated, in the past SET awards, have gone ahead, to attract new investors, customers and participation, in energy events, globally.

For All Participants

Eligible to join a global platform of innovators, where your views will be shared and represented, in the Energy Innovators Issues Monitor.
These views will influence social policies that, would boost innovation.

For the SET100 2020

For the top 100 ranked applicants, into the award, their start-ups, will be featured, in the SET annual publication, read across the globe.
In addition, they will, also, get a free ticket, to the 2020 SET Tech Festival.

For all Finalists

A Couple of benefits awaits the finalists, such as:

• Return flight to benefit
• Pitch coaching
• Individual booth at SET Tech Festival
• Investor-matchmaking
• Tickets to the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue, (BETD)
• Interviews and branding, in all communication material
• Accommodation for 2 representatives of the start-up, to attend the Tech Festival

For winners of each category

The benefits here include:

• Getting up to E10.000 Euros, as prize money.
• Opportunity to attend the World Energy Leaders’ Summits.
• Participation on the winners’ panel, at the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue, (BETD).

How To Apply

Interested applicants, can go ahead to apply here. The deadline for application is Wednesday, January 15, 2020.

Featured Image: startup-energy-transition

The first-ever African Drone Business challenge was, recently, launched by the African Drone Forum, (ADF), with a £40,000 cash prize for the winner.

With not less than 1000 delegates expected at the Kigali Convention Centre, where the event will take place in February 2020, the selected participants, will have the opportunity, to pitch about their businesses, at the African Drone exhibition.

By early January, selected finalists would receive notifications, about their participation, in the final pitch.

Ten finalists would be selected, to receive training, mentoring and getting to pitch, to an array of leaders, in the entrepreneurial and investment space.

The African Drone Forum consists of three segments, which are the expo, symposium and the Lake Kivu Flying Competitions.

The event will, also, offers networking opportunities, to participants, coming from the telecoms, banking, technology space and start-ups, across the continent.

The ADF had earlier said that the challenge was created, to encourage entrepreneurs, on the African continent, to explore new challenges and opportunities faced, in connection with rural connectivity, delivery system and artificial intelligence, used for image analysis.

Jean-Christophe Zufferey, Co-founder of senseFly said, “Tech is there, but use cases, beyond medical product delivery, are the missing piece,”. “We should spend more time, analysing existing supply chains, to see where and how drones make sense”, he concluded.

Eligibility For Participation

To submit a business plan, to the ADF challenge, you must:

• Be a citizen of a country in Africa, (you can be in diaspora)
• Business model must be executable, on the continent
• Individual entrepreneurs, or, a team, with a drone service application
• Participants must not, necessarily, be drone companies
• Solutions should demonstrate socio-economic values

How To Apply

Entrants, seeking to apply for the ADF business challenge and have satisfied the requirements, can go ahead to apply here.

The deadline for applications is Monday, December 9, 2019.

Recently, the tech ecosystem in Africa is, getting nods, from the foreign community and this has increased collaboration, among certain, Non-African countries.

The recent collaboration is one, between Japan and Kenya.

Daikin and Samurai Incubate Africa, have partnered, to organise the first-ever, Africa Ideathon.

The Ideathon, targets African start-ups, across the continent and it is set, to offer, 10 shortlisted finalists, to take part, in the pitching event, happening on Wednesday, December 11, 2019, in Nairobi, Kenya.

The ten shortlisted finalists would be riding a roller coaster, as they need not worry, about accommodation and travel expenses, as air tickets and visas for, at most, two members of the team, would be covered.

The winner of the start-up pitch stands a chance, of receiving investment, from Samurai Incubate Africa. In addition, the 10 finalists get to partner, with Daikin, with all projects executed, to be covered by Daikan.

Eligibility For Participation

African start-ups, planning to apply, for this first time ever collaborative opportunity, would be eligible based on the following criteria:

• Must be based in Africa, with plans of expanding into, at least, one other African country, that has a demand, for air conditioners
• Must be an independent legal entity and a profit-making venture
• Must have service, or, product, designed to scale
• Must have a reliable management team
• Must be searching for opportunity, to form partnership and collaboration, with Daikin

Note that, startups seeking to apply must have their service or product readily available in the market and must be able, to generate revenue, in any of the following: clean energy, fintech, real estate, e-commerce and property tech.

How To Apply

African start-ups, who have satisfied all the criteria mentioned above for the Daikin Samurai Ideathon Challenge, can proceed to commence their application here.

The deadline for applications is Wednesday, November 20, 2019.

Featured Image: Opportunities