AfricArena announces first start-ups through to Paris event

Excitement is building as 25 of Africa’s finest tech start-ups begin finalising their pitches for the Major Viva AfricArena showcase hosted at Station F, the largest start-up incubator in the world.

The event on Tuesday, 14 June precedes the sixth annual Vivatech conference in Paris, France. Viva AfricArena is organised by AfricArena, a well-known African tech accelerator that runs corporate open innovation challenges throughout the continent.

The Paris-event will be AfricArena’s first showcase in Europe, gathering their community of African focused investors, ecosystem players, corporates, and founders for a day of networking and deal-making.

African start-ups still have a last-minute shot at pitching for Major Viva AfricArena. This, as tickets have gone on sale for the global showcase to be held in the 13th arrondissement of Paris.

Organisers have started announcing the first African start-ups who will spend the day pitching to foreign markets on various track challenges. Representing more than 15 countries, they will showcase the best tech Africa has to offer.

Already qualified for the pre-seed track are:

• ParCsmart, a Senegalese start-up that helps drivers find and reserve a parking space using their smartphones before reaching their destinations;
• Afroto, a high-quality photographic services platform that validates photographers from anywhere in Africa using algorithms.
• Reslocate, South Africa’s leading student accommodation interactive platform that connects property owners with prospective students.
• Socium Job which combines the latest technology with recruitment. The start-up partners with clients to help find digital technology staff that isn’t readily available on the open market.
• TerraClim, a South African start-up that pioneers integrated data resources to give you access to detailed climate and terrain.

Already qualified for the seed track are:

• Ewaati, a start-up for digital management of presence and working time.
• FinvexTech, a B2B trade finance fintech platform for enterprise buyers.
• Bag Innovation, a digital platform that applies gamification to offer real-time access to experience-based learning for university students in East Africa.
• Tolbi, a Senegalese start-up specialising in digital agriculture
• Strove, a South Africa-founded mental and physical wellbeing platform for companies and employees around the world.

Meanwhile, the Major Viva AfricArena showcase will feature top speakers, including Haifa Ben Selem, associate programme officer at the International Trade Center, as well as Ndileka Zantsi, centre manager for the French South African Tech Labs.

The participation has also been confirmed of Faith Blakemore, international project manager for the Steinbeis-Europa-Zentrum, and Henri Zietsman, start-up business development manager at Amazon Web Services. More speakers are expected to be announced within the next week.

Scaling beyond Africa

Organisers say prior to the Viva AfricArena event on 14 June, the French South African Tech Labs offers a further opportunity to African-based corporates and investors willing to experience the booming start-up ecosystem across France and Europe.

This will be through a learning expedition tour where start-ups will visit the innovative spaces at the heart of the ecosystem’s dynamism in Paris, connecting to local actors – entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts – who will share valuable insights and stories around key topics.

African start-ups who need access to foreign deal flow or who plan on scaling beyond the continental borders are encouraged to subscribe to the AfricArise scale package to make use of the benefits on offer.

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