1 500 African innovators to gather for SA Innovation Summit

After having raised $22 million worth of investments just last year, the SA Innovation Summit is set to return to the Mother City from 27 to 29 September 2022. Organisers expect up to 1 500 ecosystem leaders for the summit billed as Africa’s biggest tech start-up event.

#SAIS2022 will again facilitate deals for founders, ecosystem builders and investors across Africa and the globe, vows Buntu Majaja, chief executive of the of SA Innovation Summit. He says African innovation holds a promise for a recession-proof beacon of light as the global economy braces itself for an unprecedented recession.

Deliberating on the conference theme, “Innovation goes viral”, speakers will look at how the positive impact of great innovations can be multiplied, scaled, and go viral. The programme includes a deep dive into the Blockchain world by bringing an NFT auction to light. Partners from across the globe are invited to build and explore the trending technologies and innovations reshaping our world.

Also, the SA Innovation Summit vows to bring modern toolkits to founders through masterclasses and panel discussions offering practical advice on how to scale, ride the trends and adapt to thrive. It tackles how ecosystems can support the impact of great new ideas, share the secrets on how to make unicorns in Africa and looks at corporate venture capital and the latest on the start-up act.

“The Innovation Summit is a catalyst for innovation in the economy, a platform where discussions, decisions and deals are made in order build Africa’s scalable economies,” says Majaja.

“We are honoured and humbled every year to work with partners from all over the world to produce Africa’s largest start-up conference. This year is special because the sedatives of the pandemic are wearing off and like a phoenix, we can see innovation diamonds and start-up unicorns unearthing from the 2020 ashes. This is the momentum we want to build on because we believe that there are huge deltas across African markets and it’s only the beginning of the Africa rising narrative.”

‘The ultimate for techpreneurs looking to scale’

The summit takes place against the backdrop of increasing regionalisation and integration across the African continent and positioning start-ups and tech-enabled businesses to join the ranks of other growing African unicorns where their markets must be pan-African and/or global.

#SAIS2022 is described as the ultimate environment for tech entrepreneurs looking to scale but may lack capital, skills, or markets to tap into. By attending, entrepreneurs get automatic access to the summit’s unique business matching platform where they can meet up with investors, find collaborative partners and explore new markets through productive meetings.

On 27 and 28 September the event will take place at Old Biscuit Mill in Salt River, Cape Town. Proceedings on 29 September will be held in partnership with Innovation City at its premises in Gardens with the aim to help grow the digital ecosystem within South Africa.

Among the speakers for this year are City of Cape Town and how they have become “Silicone Cape” attracting tech talent and money to the Mother City. The department of science and innovation launches and showcases preliminary successes of the Innovation Fund, GoGetta expands on the wave of crowd funding.

Furthermore, Von Seidels invites attendees to the metaverse and world of IP law at the forefront of innovation, while Newtown Partners brings together Africa’s CXOs to unlock corporate venture capital and play host to an NFT auction where top local art will be showcased and sold.

Last year’s SA Innovation Summit welcomed over 150 local and global venture capital and angel investors as well as some 1 500 early-stage entrepreneurs, serial entrepreneurs, professionals at leading corporations, and industry thought leaders and 48 industry expert speakers. Competitions and winners included LiquidGold, Karma Science, Memeza Shout, Creditais, and Four Minute Knowledge.

ALSO READ: CV Labs opens blockchain incubation hub in Cape Town