Global Startup Awards: Nominations for Southern Africa open 31 March

Nominations for the inaugural Southern African Startup Awards — the regional finals of the Global Startup Awards — are set to officially open on Saturday (31 March).

In a post on Facebook Monday (26 March), the Southern African circuit of the Global Startup Awards called for nominations of startups and entrepreneurs from any of the 15 Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries.

The Global Startup Awards, which have been held annually around the world since 2012 in Denmark, aim to select and recognise startups and entrepreneurs who have shown outstanding achievement in business and service to the community.

The grand finale of the inaugural Southern African Startup Awards will be held on 31 October in Johannesburg, nominations close 7 May

In addition, the awards aim to create a global entrepreneurial network and by doing so create opportunities for international partnerships and commercial exchange.

In an earlier post, Global Startup Awards Southern Africa said the initiative offers startups networking opportunities and connects participants “to the right people with great interest in their business”.

“We know what it takes to build, scale and nurture a great company. Through our Global Startup Awards programme, we are recognised as a world leader in advising, guiding and recognising the best high-growth entrepreneurs and their companies,” Global Startup Awards Southern Africa stated.

Nominations for the awards will close on 7 May, with national finalists to be announced on 9 July. Thereafter, public voting at a national level will take place on 10 July with national voting rounds closing on 27 August.

Between 10 September and 20 October, after the announcement of the national winners public voting for regional finalists will take place, culminating in the regional grand final set to be held on 31 October at the Emperors Palace in Johannesburg.

Thereafter, regional winners will then attend an annual gathering to determine the best from around the world.

Award categories

Award winners will be selected across 15 different categories. These are:

• Startup of the year
• Best newcomer
• Founder of the year
• Investor of the year
• Female rolemodel in tech
• Best social impact startup
• Best fintech startup
• Best foodtech or agritech startup
• Best student startup
• Best edutech startup
• Best accelerator and incubator programme
• Best co-working space
• Best startup ecosystem initiative
• People’s choice
• Best water crisis management solution