The GEC+Africa entrepreneurship regional pitching competitions aim to bring in startups and SMMEs from across the continent to showcase their businesses. This will be an opportunity to highlight Africa’s innovative startups / SMMEs and a platform to strengthen each country’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Applications will be open to tech startups at pre-seed or seed stage with at least a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and non-tech startups or SMMEs that are post-revenue. Successful applicants will be invited to participate in a bootcamp which will be in preparation ahead of the pitching competitions taking place in their respective countries.
The GEC+ Cape Town adjudicators will select a total of 10 winners from the road shows who will have an opportunity to travel to Cape Town, South Africa, where GEC+ Cape Town will take place. The final pitch will have an audience consisting of investors and Entrepreneur Support Organisations from all over the continent. The top 3 winners will share a prize of $50,000 and will have an opportunity to join an accelerator programme post the congress.
Rest of Africa
- Algiers: 9-10 July
- Cairo: 12-13 July
- Gaborone: 13-14 July
- Accra: 19-20 July
- Lagos: 25-26 July
- Nairobi: 1-2 August
- Windhoek: 8-9 August
South Africa
- Eastern Cape: 2-3 October
- Kwa-Zulu Natal: 5-6 October
- Mpumalanga: 9-10 October
- North West: 16-17 October
- Limpopo: 19-20 October
- Northern Cape: 23-24 October
- Free State: 30-31 October
- Gauteng: 2-3 November
- Western Cape: 7-8 November
Assessment Criteria
Applicants whose pitch decks are deemed suitable will be invited to pitch to judges during the lead up activity.
The below criteria will serve as a broad guideline in assessing the applicants when they present their businesses to the adjudicators:
1. The Problem Statement: has the entrepreneur(s) clearly identified the problem they are looking to solve and who this problem affects? Is the problem big enough i.e., does it point to a sizeable growing target market?
2. Value Proposition: Is the proposed solution distinct from the current solutions in the market? Does it have a clear competitive advantage?
3. The Business Case: Is the business model viable in how it intends to make money alongside its value proposition? Is this business model sustainable? Does the business have a clear strategy?
4. Team Composition: Is the team skilled and capable enough of executing on the product/service delivery and its business model?
5. The Minimum Viable Product: How effectively does the MVP showcase the value proposition? Does the MVP provide a robust foundation for further development and scaling?
6. Overall Quality of the Pitch: Was a pitch deck submitted? Was the entrepreneur prepared in their presentation and in answering questions?
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