OVER one million US dollars will be up for grabs for African start ups who know their onions. The fund is made available by an investor agencies, including SpeedUpAfrica, which main desire is to speed up the African tech eco system to enable it compete on a global scale.
The Start-ups may access the fund at a SpeedUPAfrica Bootcamp which holds in Lagos Nigeria from July 5-9, 2017.
The goal of the bootcamp is to empower a new wave of African start-ups.
Following the event’s success in 2016, the team behind the bootcamp – SiliconValley VC firm Draper Dark Flow (DDF) – will once again be providing practical solutions to everything from securing funding and attracting new users, to product differentiation and expansion.
SpeedUPAfrica is different from other African start-up events because it provides hands-on practical help from international experts including financiers, strategists and brand builders – as well as entrepreneurs who have built their own successful businesses both in Africa and overseas.
The event is backed by DDF founder Tim Draper, who has now invested in more than 1000 companies, including Skype and Hotmail and most recently, Swiftly and VugaPay, both of which he met through SpeedUPAfrica.
Managing Partner at DraperDarkFlow, Toro Orero, is the driving force behind SpeedUPAfrica.
He said: “Our focus is on mentors, workshops and Investments as well as networking and socialising with like-minded enterpreneurs. We will ensure that the SpeedUPAfrica week is a defining moment in the life of the start-ups who attend.”
This year’s attendees will have the opportunity to pick the brains of senior representatives from Google, Singularity and Draper Universities, and some 60 potential investors.F6S- whose online platform provides entrepreneurs with access to start-up programs and investment funds as well as a host of other benefits – will be providing US$1 million of benefits to selected SpeedUp Africa participants.
Edem Dotse is CEO and founder of Swiftly, aPeople-not-present (PnP) movement of goods platform that enables people to reduce the cost of shipping by sharing shipping space (SSS).
He says: “SpeedUpAfrica transformed my business and had a great impact on my life. As well as helping me to secure investment, I learnt so much and have implemented the words of wisdom and advice, tips and hacks that I received”.