The Seedstars World 2016 African tour is going on, and for the first time ever, they’ll be in Mali (Bamako, to be specific) to find the best seed stage startups in the area. Seedstars World is a global seed-stage startup competition for emerging markets and fast-growing startup scenes, and this year, they’re touring over 65 countries, 15 of which are African countries.
So far this year, Seedstars has been to South Africa, Mozambique, Angola, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, and Nigeria. In each of these countries, startups competed for the chance to represent their country at the annual Seedstars Summit in Switzerland and also win up to $1m in equity investment.
Seedstars inaugural event in Mali, Seedstars Bamako, is happening on September 4, 2016 and the team are pretty stoked about their first edition. Seedstars World Associate, Claudia Makadristo says, “Seedstars World is a platform connecting investors to the next generation of startup entrepreneurs, pulling the spotlight from Silicon Valley and Western Europe. After three years of our existence, we have definitely confirmed our initial hypothesis that the best way to have an impact in emerging countries is by investing and promoting entrepreneurship. We are constantly expanding into new countries to learn about ecosystems and discover new talent. We are therefore very excited to come to Mali for the first time and see what the country has to offer.”
Up to 10 of the best seed stage startups in Mali will be invited to pitch for the opportunity to compete at the Seedstars Summit and Seedstars World is working with ImpactHub Bamako to make this happen.
ImpactHub co-founder and CEO, Mohamed Keita says, “The excitement is at its peak! One of the most important startup competitions in the world is coming to Bamako. Seedstars World is an amazing opportunity for the best entrepreneurs of emerging countries to be identified. The selected startups, those that will shape our future, will benefit from access to a great network and community, media exposure and overall the opportunity to connect with leading investors. The global winner, who will be selected among the participating countries can earn $500,000 to grow his business. To the Malian community of entrepreneurs, do not wait!”.
Seedstars Bamako is supported by Orange and the Azalai Hotels Group. Applications are open and interested startups can apply here.
