Here’s why you should consider attending this year’s Seedstars Africa Summit

Seedstars World, one of the largest startup competitions for startup scenes in emerging markets, has disclosed the programme for the fourth edition of the Seedstars Africa Summit which will take place between 11 and 13 December in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Up to 36 startups will participate in different activities at this year’s summit.

These include 17 finalists from the Seedstars World tour, nine local companies from the Seedstars World Tanzania edition, three Swiss startups and a delegation of three other enterprises from the Tanzanian port city of Tanga.

Seedstars regional manager for Africa Claudia Makadristo, in a statement on Wednesday (28 November), described this year’s edition as “the most ambitious” Seedstars Africa Summit ever.

‘This is the most ambitious Seedstars Africa Summit ever!’ — Seedstars regional manager for Africa

Here then is what’s in store:

The Growth Bootcamp (11 December)

Seedstars Africa Summit will start with a day-long Seedstars Growth Bootcamp, where 20 startups will learn more about growth strategy and how to master the art of pitching.

The aim of the bootcamp is for the participants to prepare for expansion and become more investable and among other things, the Seedstars investment team will mentor the participants on growth models and acquisition channels.

The Parallel Delegations Bootcamp (11 December)

One of the main goals of the tour is to go beyond the capital cities to promote young local communities and ecosystems. On the afternoon of 11 December, three startups from Tanzania’s Tanga region will participate in The Parallel Delegations Bootcamp.

The bootcamp, which is sponsored by Fondation Botnar, will include one-on-one mentoring sessions on the art of pitching, growth insights and scaling strategy with relevant local mentors.

The Investor Forum (12 December)

This year’s summit will bring together the most prominent and active investors in the region. An investor-only session will be held in the morning for investors to exchange best practices.

The session will also be a platform for the investors to meet with representatives from the Tanzanian Private Sector Foundation to get more insights into the country’s private sector and share their concerns as investors.

Entrepreneurs will also pitch in front of these investors and participate in private meetings to allow them to get  in-depth feedback about their business models, as well as create potential future funding opportunities.

The Conference (13 December)

The Conference day will kicks off with a number of invite-only workshops that address a wide range of topics.

Industry experts and experienced entrepreneurs will facilitate the discussions and provide input on the context and main issues they are facing in order for them to collectively design concrete solutions to be implemented.

After a networking lunch, the 17 Seedstars World Africa tour winners will pitch on stage. Thereafter, the afternoon will feature a series of talks, where successful entrepreneurs and inspiring industry leaders will take to the stage.

These will include: Yoco expansion manager Marcello Schermer, Govchat founder Eldrid Jordaan and Ubongo chief business officer Doreen Kessy.

The keynote speakers are set to touch on how they are using technology to solve local and regional issues. They will also touch on the continent’s successes and outline what challenges African entrepreneurs still face.

These sessions are part of Seedstars’ global initiative to bring together experts, entrepreneurs and industry leaders to facilitate meaningful discussions that lead to tangible outcomes that can be implemented across the region.

The Ecosystem Tour (14 December)

Startups, mentors, Seedstars Ambassadors and investors will also have the opportunity to engage with local support organisations in a knowledge exchange session.

Summit delegates will visit several incubation and acceleration spaces. There they will get the chance to engage in discussions with local entrepreneurs and those in support organisations to get a better understanding of the successes and challenges that entrepreneurs face.

Considering attending? Tickets can be purchased here

Read more: ‘Seedstars regional summit to help foster meaningful discussions’ [Q&A]

Disclosure: Ventureburn is a Seedstars media partner.