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Top startup events in South Africa, Africa you should know about this week [20/1/2019] [Updated]
If you’re in Nairobi, Kenya a memorial service will be held on Tuesday for the six employees of Nairobi-based payments company Cellulant that were killed in last Tuesday’s terrorist attack at the DusitD2 hotel (see more in this story). In all 21 people were killed in the attack.
In Cape Town this week? Join Luksbrands owner and founder Dustin Botha in a Founders Class event this Wednesday (23 January).
For those in Johannesburg, Swiss investor and entrepreneur York Zucci will discuss best practices on how to find and keep clients, at an Innovation Hub Motivation Session which takes place on Monday morning (21 January).
If you’re into fintech you’ll want to attend a consultative workshop on fintech development in Southern and Eastern Africa that will take place on Friday (25 January) at the Maboneng Precinct in Johannesburg.
In Ghana, the Unicef Innovation Fund, will together with MEST, host a meet and greet for innovators working with artificial intelligence and blockchain on Thursday (24 January).
This article is part of a weekly series that highlights all the top startup events, competitions, networking sessions, workshops and conferences in Africa.
If you have any event recommendations for us to add to the list, or next week’s, please let us know in the comments below or send us an email.
Not all of the events are free and some will require booking in advance. Please click on the event names to find out more information.
Cape Town
For those that work in startups, lean (startup) coffee is a weekly one-hour coffee meetup that runs a mash-up of leancoffee.org with theleanstartup.com.
Unlike other startup meetups, lean (startup) coffee has no set agenda or a line-up of speakers — instead the talks are centred around what you care about.
Date: 23 January, 8.30am to 9.30am
Location: 1 Somerset Road, Green Point, Cape Town
Founders Class
Founders Class brings together high calibre founders and funders in a weekly cross functional super class that combines work and networking.
This week join Luksbrands owner and founder Dustin Botha, the entrepreneur behind Skull Candy, Lamy Pens and Traeger grills.
Date: 23 January, 7am to 8am
Location: Ideas Cartell III, The Old Foundry, 16 Ebenezer Road, Waterkant, Cape Town
MEST Africa Information Session
Do you aspire to build your own pan-African software company? Do you want to learn more about how you can join one of the largest pan-African tech incubators?
Join the MEST Africa team as they share their experience working with entrepreneurs from across the continent.
Date: 23 January, 5.30pm to 6.30pm
Location: MEST Incubator Cape Town, Albert Road, Cape Town
Johannesburg
Innovation Hub Motivation Session
Swiss investor and entrepreneur York Zucchi has, through his SME Movement, supported over 83 countries. If you want to know the best practice to find and keep clients join The Innovation Hub’s inaugural Motivation Session.
Date: 21 January, 9.45am to 10.45am
Location: The Innovation Hub, Mark Shuttleworth Street, The Innovation Hub, Tshwane
The Ultimate Innovation Strategy Workshop
Want to be a cut-throat innovator? Join this workshop to learn key insights on how leading global organisations organise their innovation strategy.
Topics to be covered include innovation strategy roundtables, corporate innovation strategy and how to formulate and map innovation strategy.
Date: 22 January, 9.30pm to 5.30pm
Location: Maboneng Precinct, 20 Kruger Street, 5th Floor Main Change Building, Johannesburg
Future Females: Build your business on Instagram
If you’re looking to grow your business on Instagram (or grow faster) — then this event is for you. This workshop will cover hashtags, algorithms, stories, IGTV, conversion, as well as insights on proven models to build followers.
Date: 24 January, 5.30pm to 7.30pm
Location: AlphaCode, RMI, 3rd Floor, 2 Merchant Place, 1 Friedman Drive, Sandton
Banking on Africa: Opportunities for fintech development in Southern and Eastern Africa (Consultative workshop)
This consultative workshop aims to draw new insights describing the trajectory of the fintech sector and develop strategies for its sustained future growth.
Invited to the workshop are fintech policy makers, regulators, banking and mobile network operator representatives, fintech researchers and fintech entrepreneurs.
Date: 25 January, 8.30am to 5.30pm
Location: Maboneng Precinct, 20 Kruger Street, 5th Floor Main Change Building, Johannesburg
Ghana
Unicef Innovation Fund meet and greet
Do you dream of using technology to improve the lives of children and young people around the world? Is your company developing a solution in an emerging tech area such as artificial intelligence or blockchain?
Join MEST and Chris Szymczak from the Unicef Innovation Fund to learn more about how you can achieve just that.
Date: 24 January, 4pm to 5pm
Location: Meltwater Incubator, East-Legon, Accra, 19 Banana Street, Ayawaso, Accra
How to win a pitch competition
Join OZE co-founder and CEO Meghan McCormick, Coliba country director Prince Kwame Agbata, Eneza country director Rudolph Ampofo, and Pennysmart co-founder Richard Yao Baku in this session on how to win a pitch competition.
Date: 26 January, 9.30am to 1pm
Location: The Orangery, Opposite Impact Hub, 169/4A, Otswe Street, Osu, Accra
Kenya
Memorial for six Cellulant employees killed in terrorist attack
A memorial service will be held on Tuesday for the six employees of Nairobi-based payments company Cellulant that were killed in last Tuesday’s terrorist attack at the DusitD2 hotel (see more in this story).
Date: 22 January, 10.30am
Location: CITAM church, Valley Road campus, Nairobi
Kenyan business support organisation iHub will hold a meeting for those in the innovation community, following last Tuesday’s terrorist attack at the DusitD2 hotel.
“We would like to invite the innovation ecosystem to the iHub on Tuesday 22 January from 5.30pm – 7.30pm to meet in person and see how we are all doing, how we can better support each other, what we can learn together from the last week. This is an inclusive event. If you want to come, please come. If you are wondering if you should come, please come.”
Date: 22 January 5.30pm to 7.30pm
Location: iHub, Senteu Plaza, Junction of Galana Rd and Lenana Rd, Nairobi
Join the conversation and get insights and strategies to help you kickstart your 2019 in profit.
Date: 24 January, 8.30am to 9.30am
Location: Ankole Grill, Galana Road, Nairobi
Sanofi Innovation breakfast
During this forum, French pharmaceutical company Sanofi will talk about how to participate in the company’s competition Vivatech competition, as well as interact with healthtech startups on innovation in the healthcare sector.
Date: 24 January, 7.30am to 10am
Location: Metta Nairobi, 6/F Belgravia Building, 14 Riverside Drive, Nairobi
Tumi Startup Accelerator Design Thinking Workshop
Join Mass Inspire founder Enos Weswa for this Design Thinking Workshop which will assist startups to comprehensively think through their problem and how their solution fits in society.
Date: 25 January, 2.30pm to 4.30pm
Location: C4DLab, Riverside Drive, Nairobi
Nigeria
Startup Grind Ekpoma end of year party
In the mood for a party? Join Startup Grind Ekpoma’s end of year celebration and plan for 2019 with other entrepreneurs.
Date: 20 January, 2pm to 4pm
Location: Emaudo Youth Secretariat, Uwen-Emaudo road, Ekpoma
Startup Forum: Lean Canvas Workshop
Wennovation Hub Nigeria national programmes manager Osasenanga Enogieru will facilitate this free workshop on the Lean Canvas. There are limited seats available, so the early bird gets the worm.
Date: 23 January, 1pm to 3pm
Location: Aiivon Innovation Hub – St. James House, 167 Ademola Adetokunbo Crescent, Abuja
MEST Africa Information Session
Do you aspire to build your own Pan-African software company? Do you want to learn more about how you can join one of the largest pan-African tech incubators?
Join the MEST Africa team as they share their experience working with entrepreneurs from across the continent.
Date: 24 January, 5.30pm to 6.30pm
Location: MEST Incubator Lagos, 19B Adeyemi Lawson Street, Lagos
Ashoka Africa Hub launch
This event brings together the most innovative social entrepreneurs, corporations, institutions and the media in Nigeria to launch the Ashoka Africa Hub and showcase the solutions of Ashoka fellows who are solving some of the most pressing challenges in Africa.
Date: 24 January, 1pm to 6pm
Location: Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel, Lagos VI, 1a Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue, Lagos
Wennochat January edition Lagos
Join Reach Technologies CEO JR Kanu as he discusses how to position yourself for smart savings and investments.
Date: 25 January, 3pm to 5pm
Location: Wennovation Hub, Lagos, 12 Rev.Ogunbiyi Street GRA, Ikeja, Lagos
Tech Cabal Townhall: The State of Healthtech in Nigeria
Tech Cabal will launch its Nigerian Healthtech Industry Report at this event. The publication will also provide a platform to discuss the sector’s current state, progress so far and its future with key stakeholders in attendance.
Date: 25 January,
Location: TBA
Wennochat January edition Ibadan
Join Zenith Labour Party governorship candidate for Oyo State Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli in a discussion on how law, politics and technology are shaping entrepreneurship and startups.
Date: 25 January, 3pm to 5pm
Location: Wennovation Hub,3rd Floor, Alpha & Omega Building, Queen Elizabeth II Road, Mokola-UCH Road, Ibadan
Startup Grind Bauchi hosts Babatunde Oluwayomi Aremu (CEO Oremnet Technologies)
Oremnet Technologies CEO Babatunde Oluwayomi Aremu will share how he was able to grow his tech company from scratch using the powerful force of bootstrapping.
Date: 26 January, 10am to 1pm
Location: UpliftHub , Federal Polytechnic Bauchi, Off Dass Road, Gwallameji, Bauchi
Startup Grind Ebonyi hosts Corporate Affairs Commission zonal director Ezennabuike Chibuike
Corporate Affairs Commission zonal director Ezennabuike Chibuike will share his thoughts, ideas and prospects as the new year begins.
Date: 26 January, 12pm to 2pm
Location: Youth Hub Auditorium opposite Diamond Bank, Ogoja road, Abakaliki
Zimbabwe
Five handpicked companies will take the hot seat, with only 99 seconds to pitch their company and describe their value proposition in front of an eager audience.
Date: 25 January, 6pm to 9pm
Location: Impact Hub Harare, 194 Baines Avenue, Harare
Future Females Zimbabwe launch
Future Females is launching in Zimbabwe. Join this global community of female entrepreneurs for monthly events where you’ll hear from successful female entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs in the country. The event is open to everyone (females and female-lovers).
Date: 26 January, 10am to 12.30pm
Location: Fif Cafe, 30 Glenara Avenue, South Harare, Harare
Editor’s note (21 and 22 January 2019) his article was updated to include the memorial service for the six Cellulant employees to be held on 22 January and a vigil to be held on the evening of the same day.
Featured image: Startup Grind Cape Town via Facebook
