Applications have officially opened for tech startups in Botswana with ambitions of pitching at a local Seedstars World event in the country’s capital.
The winner of the early-stage startup contest in Gaborone on Nov. 3 will earn the right to pitch to investors at a final in Switzerland next year, according to iAfrikan.
The global startup competition in Botswana will see selected startups pitching to a panel of judges for a chance to earn investment and prizes.
This competition in Botswana will form part of the preliminary rounds leading up to the global final, which have already taken place in numerous other African nations.
Winners have already been selected from Mozambique, Tunisia, Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon, Rwanda, Angola and Morocco, with Zimbabwe’s winner to be decided this week following a Seedstars Harare event, according to Ventureburn.
Last year’s winner from Botswana was Bua App, a private ratings platform for social occasions, Techmoran reports.
Anis Kallel, associate for Africa at Seedstars World, expressed his excitement at the addition of Botswana to the list of countries considered in the global startup contest.
“Seedstars World is a platform connecting investors to the next generation of startup entrepreneurs, pulling the spotlight from Silicon Valley and Western Europe. We are impressed by what we have seen on the continent so far and cannot wait to add startups from Botswana to our map,” said Kallel, according to ITNewsAfrica.
Seedstars World, which describes itself as the world’s biggest startup competition in emerging markets, holds these events in over 65 countries before winners are selected to take part in a grand final.
The winner of the Botswana leg of the competition will join other Seedstars country-winners at the final event in Switzerland during April next year, where they will deliver pitches that could potentially earn them up to $1 million in equity investments and prizes, according to Seedstars.
