DEMO Africa Mini-Events To Be Held in Nairobi, Accra, Harare and Cairo

DEMO Africa will be holding four mini-events ahead of the main event in September. The events are intended to bring together regional technology eco-systems to learn and share from peers and industry players. The events are also aimed at encouraging innovations in less favored categories where interventions are critically needed in various countries across Africa.

The DEMO Africa mini-events will be hosted in four cities across Africa. These include Nairobi, Accra, Harare and Cairo. The first of these mini events is scheduled for 3rd June in Nairobi where East Africa technology entrepreneurs will interact with key industry players and their more successful peers.

Commenting on this announcement, DEMO Africa’s executive producer Harry Hare called on the entrepreneurs to take advantage of the existing opportunities, at the same time exuding confidence in the standards of innovations on the DEMO Africa stage. He added,

“With each passing year we get to witness the amazing thoughts and hard work of young entrepreneurs, I am confident that on the DEMO Africa stage this year, investors will get to witness innovations that will convince them to channel more of their resources towards technology entrepreneurship.”

Innovators from across Africa have been asked to submit their applications in the 12 application categories which include: Agriculture, Health, Education, Manufacturing and Retail. Others are Media and entertainment, Communication, Transport and Logistics, Energy, Finance and Banking, Water and Sanitation, Waste Management and recycling.

To qualify for DEMO Africa 2015, start-ups must ensure that their products have the ability to impact the marketplace of introduction. A clear business plan and a team capable of delivering the product are also vital. The product must be ready for launch and the business must be legally registered. Preference is given to disruptive innovations that have massive potential for scale.

The main DEMO Africa event is slated for 24th and 25th September. Apply now for a chance to witness the best technology innovations from Africa. This year, various investors will come together to discuss the “Africa opportunity” as well as discuss best practices, share lessons learned and set the road map for the future. These will include investors from the Cairo Angels, Lagos Angels Network, Ivoire Business Angels, Viktoria Angels, Ghana Angel Investors Network, Africa Angels Network, Cameroon Angels and Silicon Cape and others.

See http://www.demo-africa.com/ for more information regarding the DEMO Africa 2015

Editorial contacts:

Evelyne Wangui | Project and Communication Manager

Office:+254 20 404 1646

Mobile:+254 726 087 451

Email: evelyne.wangui@demo-africa.com

Miguel Heilbron| Director of Outreach-VC4Africa

Office:+31 20 233 63 25

Email: miguel@vc4africa.biz

GAIN Opens Funding Applications for Startups

The Ghana Angel Investor Network, the foremost angel investment group in Ghana has opened up applications for Ghanaian owned startups to apply for funding. The application is open to startups for all industry segments in Ghana. To apply, visit www.gain.com.gh to complete the application process. Application for this quarter is open from now till the end of June, but priority will be given to those who apply early.

The Ghana Angel Investor Network (GAIN) is a network of Angel investors with a passion for investing in early-stage businesses with significant growth prospects and the potential to generate superior returns. GAIN is a body corporate limited by guarantee and established under the laws of Ghana. As a Network, GAIN is not-intended for profit. However, members and beneficiaries seek to derive significant returns on their investments.

The team at GAIN pride themselves on providing a full range of services for both entrepreneurs and investors. They are responsible for coordinating on behalf of the Angels and act as the liaison between entrepreneurs and Angels ensuring that the lines of communication are constantly open.

• Identify, evaluate and develop investment opportunities
• Adherence to defined Network processes, deal flow etc
• Coordinating due diligence
• Manage communications and relationships
• Handle publicity and public relations

Ghana Angel Investor Network (GAIN) recently made their first investment of GHS 350,000 in Revo local Edutech startup providing solutions for the education sector. GAIN, a network of high net worth individuals, was established by the Venture Capital Trust Fund (VCTF) to bridge the funding gap for very early-stage companies. VCTF recognized the need to provide a platform for established entrepreneurs to assist aspiring entrepreneurs with capital and mentorship. GAIN launched with only 6 founding members and today has an impressive network of 24 investors, with a keen interest in startups. The GAIN network is diverse with investors having interests in sectors such as technology, agriculture, education and healthcare.

Following the investment, the founders are still working closely with the team at GAIN and the Angel investors and will continue to do so for at least 12 months. Leticia Browne, in charge of Investor Relations at GAIN, said added,

"This is one of the key benefits of working with GAIN as through the GAIN network, entrepreneurs can tap into a wealth of resources via the pool of investors and mentors who are dedicated to assist in building innovative and sustainable businesses."

If you know of any startup which will benefit from such an opportunity, do well to share this good news with them.

MEST Opens Recruitment to Kenya

The new MEST logo

Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology has extended its recruitment boundaries towards East Africa, and specifically to Kenya! Over the past few years, MEST has succeeded in building a software entrepreneurship scholarship program which trains graduates to build globally successful software companies. As part of its efforts to create wealth and jobs across Africa, the school opened recruitment to Nigeria last year. This year, it has gone even further, all the way to Kenya.

The recruitment process in Nigeria brought in 9 out of about 27 trainees for last year. This has brought a good exposure within the program as graduates expect to build global, and not just Ghanaian, products. Hopefully, this recruitment to Kenya will yield great results for the school and the MEST Incubator.

This change also comes amidst the MEST rebranding and several partnerships that MEST has been signing first with Interswitch, then Vodafone, and recently Samsung. Another less popular news update is the program's shortened duration, which now brings it to a year of training. This could be a good opening to create more software startups in more countries across Africa. These changes and partnerships may just be unraveling MEST's new phase as it begins to gets into more territories meeting the changing needs and growing tech ecosystem in Africa.

Kenya has been one of Africa's favourites when it comes to technology and entrepreneurship on the continent. Hopefully, this change will in a way contribute to startup activity in the East African country. It will be an opening to have more startups which have founders form different countries thus increasing general adoption for software across countries on the continent.

MEST has been known to produce some globally acclaimed startups. How do you think these changes will affect the MEST program and the incubator? Is it even necessary? Share your comments.