Investec backs SA tech entrepreneurs with Seattle trip

This one should be right up our audience’s alley. Investec, along with global entrepreneurial networking organisation E-nnovate, is set to take a group of South African technology entrepreneurs to Seattle, to expose them to that city’s world-leading startup ecosystem.

This is the first time in the initiative’s 1.5 year history that it’ll be organising a trip to Seattle, although it previously taken entrepreneurs on global exposure trips to Israel and Silicon Valley.

Seattle, USA, located in the Pacific Northwest, is home to 2 000 active tech start-ups, and is ranked in the top ten entrepreneurial ecosystems in the world, along with places such as Chicago, London and Tel Aviv. From 2013–14, Seattle’s available venture capital has grown more than 40% faster than the US average, and it boasts the highest concentration of software developers in the US. It’s also becoming a relocation base for Silicon Valley and international start-ups looking for an innovative environment with relatively lower operating costs than nearby Silicon Valley.

Applications for the South African Tech Entrepreneurs Trip to Seattle, taking place from 24-30 July 2016, can be found online.