Seedstars World competition heads to Abidjan for its next leg

After its a successful round in Ghana, Seedstars World is heading towards Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. On 12 August, the competition looks to find the best startup in the country, which will go on to compete for a US$500 000 equity prize in Switzerland.

Partnering with Microsoft, Google, and MEST, Seedstars World looks at fast-growing and pioneering startups in an effort to support regional businesses.

“Seedstars World is a platform connecting investors to the next generation of startup entrepreneurs pulling the spotlight from Silicon Valley and Western Europe. We honestly think the best way to have an impact in emerging countries is by investing and promoting entrepreneurship,” says Seedstars World CEO, Alisee de Tonnac.

Read more: Meet South Africa’s 12 selected startups for Seedstars World 2015

Seedstars World is looking for smart startups that tackle regional issues and develop profitable products in the global market.

Regional Manager for Africa at Seedstars World, Gregory Pepper, is excited about the contestants:

We are very excited to hear some of the best ivorian entrepreneurs pitching on Wednesday. Since we have been on the ground, we have discovered a vibrant community of innovators and very talented developers.

The nine contestants will be pitching on 12 August to a panel of judges for a chance to compete in the final event. The judging panel includes Ezekiel Odiogo, principal investment officer at African Development Bank Group; Nnenna Nwakanma, African Regional Coordinator at WWW Foundation; Christian Roland, AOS Group co-founder; Bacely YoroBi, SocialSpot founder; Sadamoudou Kaba, Head of Development at Orange Fab Abidjan; and Florent Youzan, Afriworkers co-founder.

The nine startups are:

• BaraChic – a platform for minor savings or receiving assets on credit
• Sabicash – petty cash and banking solution for the non-formal market
• Planète Sports – an African chain of platforms supplying local sports via internet and mobile
• Tounkaa.com – online marketplace for mico-services and jobs on the internet
• LIFI-LED Côte D’Ivoire – smart lighting and LED producer
• Zoexpertiz – an online training facility
• Airshop – a pre-ordering and travel pick-up service
• Titrophone – an SMS / voice message broadcasting service encouraging readers to purchase newspapers
• Africa Media Group – an African TV and VOD service

Read more: Seedstars World names church admin app Ghana’s best startup

The global competition has expanded from 36 countries in 2014 to over 50 in 2015. As an additional expansion, Seedstars World will be focusing on travel and fintech industries and creating industry-specific tracks, which will run in parallel to the general Seedstars World competition. This addition will be named the STARS track.

Two more US$500 000 equity prizes have been added for the fintech and travel tracks. This puts the total amount of investment to be won at US$1.5-million, which excludes various prizes than can be won outside of the tracks.

Image from abdallahh via flickr