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Top startup events in South Africa, Africa you should know about this week [23/02/2020]
![https://www.facebook.com/heavychef/photos/rpp.129672057902/10156987147397903/?type=3&theater](https://s5.cdn.ventureburn.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/02/Heavy-Chef.jpg)
This Thursday (27 February) in Cape Town, Heavy Chef will feature three investors in the second of its two events on investors.
Over in Johannesburg on the same day, Startup Grind Johannesburg will host Sumarie Greybe and Ernest North, two of the three founders of insurtech Naked.
Further afield, VivaTech, one of Europe’s biggest tech events held in Paris annually, will hold events in Abidjan and Nairobi on Tuesday (25 February) and Thursday (27 February), respectively.
This, while next Saturday (29 February), Startup Grind Lagos will host Olaoluwa Awojoodu, who developed the framework and model for CashEnvoy, one of the leading web payment solutions in Nigeria.
This article is part of a weekly series that highlights all the top startup events, competitions, networking sessions, workshops and conferences in Africa.
If you have any event recommendations for us to add to the list, or next week’s, please let us know in the comments below or send us an email.
Not all the events are free and some will require booking in advance. Please click on the event names to find out more information.
Cape Town
Are you in the process of growing your startup or preparing to build your minimum viable product (MVP)?
This AWS Startup Garage will focus on how to build an MVP fast with AWS. The Garage provides the opportunity to learn from AWS experts and each other, get hands on practice, network and make connections across the Start Up ecosystem whilst ultimately becoming part of the AWS startup community.
Date: 25 February, 12pm to 5pm
Location: Workshop17, V&A Waterfront, 17 Dock Road, Cape Town
Innovation discussion on blockchain
Join SAP’s regular innovation discussion for a panel discussion on enterprise adoption of blockchain technology — the intended use cases, adoption status and relevant barriers.
Date: 26 February, 8.30am to 10.30am
Location: SAP Africa, 4 Waterford Place, Century City
Heavy Chef: The Inspire Sessions
In the second of two events on investors, Heavy Chef has invited six of South Africa’s most impressive investors to zero in on two questions.
The second session will host Knife Capital’s Keet van Zyl, Sphere Holdings’ Cora Fernandez and Mm Capital’s Nolo Masite.
Date: 27 February, 6pm to 8.30pm
Location: Workshop17, V&A Waterfront, 17 Dock Road, Cape Town
Bloemfontein
Startup Bloemfontein will this week host KB Lebusho, a business coach and a graduate of the Black Management Forum’s Young Professionals Development Programme.
He is the founder of Ultimate Success Academy, It’s Possible Foundation and recently became a partner at The LBow Room.
Date: 26 February, 5pm to 8pm
Location: The LBow Room, Park Centre, c/o Elias Motsoaledi & Dirk Opperman St, Bloemfontein
Gauteng
Startup Grind Johannesburg will this week host Sumarie Greybe and Ernest North, who founded Naked Insurance in 2016 with partner Alex Thomson.
Having spent years inside the belly of the corporate beast, the Naked co-founders may offer interesting insights for other would-be entrepreneurs who dream of doing something new.
Date: 27 February, 6pm to 8.30pm
Location: Alfajiri Hub Maboneng, 2nd Floor Main Change building, 20 Kruger Street, Maboneng Precinct, Johannesburg
Egypt
This special edition of Egypreneur’s Monthly Forum, a panel discussion will feature the visiting delegation of the Profellows Exchange Programme. They will share their diverse expertise in raising and managing money for profit and impact.
Date: 24 February, 6pm
Location: Startup Haus Cairo
Techne Drifts are all-year-round one-day events held around cities in Egypt. They aim to strengthen entrepreneurs in the startup community.
Techne Drifts 2020 which will kick-start on 29 February in Assiut and will end on 31 March in Cairo at the AUC downtown Tahrir.
Date: 29 February to 31 March
Location: Assiut, Asyut, Egypt
Ivory Coast
VivaTech, one of Europe’s biggest tech events held in Paris annually, is holding an exclusive meetup in Abidjan — in partnership with Orange Fab CI.
Date: 25 February, 5.30pm to 8pm
Location: Orange Fab CI, 9285+Q8 Abidjan
Kenya
VivaTech, one of Europe’s biggest tech events held in Paris annually, is holding an exclusive meetup in Nairobi — in partnership with MEST Incubator Nairobi.
Date: 27 February, 5.30pm to 8pm
Location: MEST Incubator Nairobi MEST Nairobi, Pinetree Plaza, Kaburu Dr, Nairobi
Since its inception in 2014, Sankalp Africa has become one of the region’s leading events for social entrepreneurship and impact investing.
The Africa summit witnesses hundreds of game-changing social entrepreneurs interact with investors and ecosystem builders every year.
Date: 27 to 28 February, 7.30am to 10am
Location: Kenya School of Monetary Studies, Mathare North Road, Nairobi
Nigeria
Startup Investment Breakfast Series
The Breakfast Investment Series is a series of ecosystem dialogue sessions designed to promote deep-rooted conversations on funding, equity and non-equity investments in the ecosystem.
This sessions will feature various speakers, including a key-note presentation on funding and investment in sub-Saharan Africa by Bukar Kyari, the former chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group.
Date: 25 February, 9.30am to 12pm
Location: 50 Ebitu Ukiwe Street, Jabi, Federal Capital Territory
On February 28, 2020, TechCabal’s TC Townhall: Emerging Tech will convene entrepreneurs and policymakers to discuss how the country can maximize the benefits of emerging technologies, specifically artificial intelligence (AI) and the blockchain.
Date: 25 February, 9.30am to 12pm
Location: Zone Tech Park, Plot 9 Gbagada Industrial Scheme, Beside UPS, Gbagada Expressway, Lagos
This week Startup Grind Lagos will host Olaoluwa Awojoodu, who developed the framework and model for CashEnvoy, one of the leading web payment solutions in Nigeria.
Without any significant capital, he built Electronic Settlement Limited into a major player in the Nigerian payment space. Awojoodu will be speaking on the theme “Building from zero”.
Date: 29 February, 3pm to 5pm
Location: Seedspace Lagos (Conference Room), 23 Agodogba Avenue, Parkview Estate, Lagos
This week Startup Grind Jos will host Sarah Pam-Dagah, the CEO Wilval Global Resources. Over the years she has bought and sold a number of businesses in the areas of catering, industrial production and waste management.
Date: 29 February, 1pm to 4pm
Location: nHub, 3rd Floor, TAEN Business Complex, Opposite former NITEL Office, Yakubu Gowon Way, Jos
Zimbabwe
Jeremy Brooke, a real-estate developer in Zimbabwe, will speak at this month’s Startup Grind Harare.
Predominantly known for developing upmarket residential units, and in particular its Arkenstone, 100 on Montgomery and Arlington Estate developments, Brooke has large ambitions across the built environment
Date: 26 February, 6pm to 9pm
Location:Sabre Business World, 146 Enterprise Road, Highlands, Harare
Featured image: Participants pictured at a recent Heavy Chef event (Facebook)