After naming duty-free shopping startup Airshop the winner of its round in Abidjan, the Seedstars World competition will next be taking place in Nairobi, Kenya on 2 October. The competition will be looking for the best startup in Kenya that will go on to compete for a US$500 000 equity prize in Geneva, Switzerland.
For this leg of the competition, Seedstars World has partnered with Kenyan financial institution CfC Stanic Bank. The partnership will allow for the Kenyan winner to attend the finals in Geneva, Switzerland. CfC Stanic Bank will also explore potential options for participating entrepreneurs with regards to partnerships and collaborations.
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Head of Business Banking at CfC Stanbic Bank Kenya, Ben Wandawanda, states what the company is doing to help entrepreneurs:
As a bank, our core purpose is empowering business people to succeed and this one of way of doing so for startups as it brings together passionate people and also reflects our entrepreneurial spirit as we help them take those important first steps in their entrepreneurial journey.
Read more: Seedstars World competition heads to Abidjan for its next leg
The competition is looking for smart startups who are able to take on regional issues and create profitable products in the global market.
The 11 startups are:
- AD-Link – an advertisement engine allowing tracking of offline and online adverts for businesses and individuals
- Atikus – helps to improve access to credit for micro, small, and medium enterprises
- ENT-Mobile – creates structured and measurable data out of social media and mobile conversions
- Illuminum Greenhouses Kenya – allows for farmers to control solar farms from their mobile phones
- Lipacard Kenya – A FitTech platform for teenagers and students
- Lynk – a system used to improve the lives of informal workers and customers
- Mobu – a coupon system
- Mobidawa – a medication guide and reminder for Africa
- Shield Investment Company – fintech company able to leverage Mobile Money and offer affordable salary advances
- Tech Republic Africa – system to nurture STEM university and career interests for technology education experiences
- Totohealth – mobile technology for saving children’s lives
The panel of judges will consist of Aaron Fu, Managing Partner for Africa at Nest.vc; Josiah Mugambi, Executive Director at The Nairobi iHub; Veronica Ogeto-Tchoketch, Head of Innovation at Safaricom; Bahaa Eddine Sarroukh, Head of Philips Research; and Gregory Pepper, Regional Manager for Africa at Seedstars World.
Read more: 10 finalists emerge for Seedstars World Lagos challenge
Seedstars World has expanded to include over 50 countries in 2015, from 36 in 2014. The competition will be focusing on the FitTech and travel industries and has created industry-specific tracks to run parallel to the main competition.
In addition, two more US$500 000 equity prizes have been added to these new tracks. The total amount of investment to be won is US$1.5-million, which excludes various prizes from outside of the tracks.
Image: Jonathan Stonehouse via Flickr
