Seedstars World returns to Tanzania

Seedstars World heads to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania on 24 September as part of the lead-up to the Seedstars World final pitching competition in Switzerland in 2017.

The criteria for possible candidates are as follows; the startup needs to be less than two years old, have raised less than US$500 000 in funding and have built a viable product which has existing traction within the relevant market.  The startup also needs to show possible regional and global scalability.

“The startup ecosystem in Tanzania has been growing exponentially and so does the quality of the startups themselves. We are looking forward to see what awaits us in this exciting place and cannot wait for our event on the 24th,” said Associate at Seedstars World , Selam Kebede.

Tanzania was previously represented by Juabar, a solar powered phone kiosk. “Seedstars is truly a global entrepreneur and investor network. The quality of the programming and networking is high. Aside from meeting investors, which is always important for these types of endeavours, it was great to meet so many entrepreneurs in similar growth stages as Juabar yet from such diverse industries and markets. It was the most valuable entrepreneurial experience to come through Tanzania,” said CEO of Juabar, Olivia Nava.

Tanzanian startups selected to represent the country stand a chance to win up to US$1-million in equity funding at the final pitching event in Switzerland.

The main partner for Seedstars World Dar Es Salaam, is the Ministry of Works, Transport and Communications.

“It is our effort to see that startups in Tanzania get the attention they need from the government. In achieving that goal, we are supporting Seedstars this year because we need to give exposure to our Tanzanian startups to get international attention,” said the director for communication services, Clarence Ichwekeleza.

“Winning a competition alone has never been a guarantee to success. But participating is most rewarding due to the exposure and attention which every business needs. I believe that the new generation of young entrepreneurs will shape Tanzania’s business landscape in a significant way, watch out,” concluded Arthur Mattli, Ambassador of Switzerland to the East African Community and the Republic of Zambia.

To find out more about Seedstars World Daar Es Salaam, click here.

Featured image: David Brossard via Flickr