The new program StartUp Africa is organized by Lead Africa International e.V. and funded by the Ministry of State Baden-Württemberg through the Foundation for Development Cooperation (SEZ) to support innovative startups through intercontinental exchange and funding.
Startups play an important role in the economic growth of a country. They create jobs and ensure more stable economic development. The new initiative showcases some of Africa’s top social entrepreneurs and pioneers in various industries: They are creating prototype solutions across tech and non-tech boundaries to help Africa solve its critical challenges in digitization, fashion industry, cleantech and climate change, education, etc.
With this programme, the state of Baden-Württemberg hopes to expand partnerships with actors on the African continent. As an export-oriented region and promoter of sustainable ideas, start-ups and innovative partnerships play an important role. Because startups can play a key role in creating a socially and ecologically transformed economy in Africa and Baden-Württemberg. This is a prerequisite for achieving the UN Agenda 2030 and the African Union Agenda 2063.
The Startup|Energy initiative of the Stiftung Solarenergie and the University of Freiburg promotes regional and international exchange between startups in the field of decentralized, renewable energy supply in D-A-CH and East Africa. The central element is Energy Camps in Freiburg and East Africa.
Within the new state initiative, Startup|Energy will be active as a mentor for startups, among other things. “We are pleased to be a partner of the state of Baden-Württemberg in the new initiative because we are pursuing the same goal: we are not interested in a one-sided transfer of knowledge, but in an equal exchange of ideas and solutions. Because a change of perspective offers many advantages if you want to arrive at clever and sustainable solutions in your own context,” says Dr. Harald Schützeichel, coordinator of Startup|Energy.
Application for StartUp Africa possible until 12 July 2021
Applications for the three-day hybrid event(with the physical location in Lagos, Nigeria) from 27-29 July 2021 are open via the website of the program. There you will also find further information on the conditions of participation.
At the event in Lagos, 50 startups and social entrepreneurs will pitch their ideas and innovations to our panel of experts. You have the chance to win a seed grant of up to 10,000 euros.
For more information on registration, please visit: www.myleadafrica.org/startafrika/