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Budding digital entrepreneurs, developers and start-ups can look forward to the opportunity of a lifetime at the 20th AfricaCom in Cape Town in November. Here, the free to attend AHUB programme will highlight the critical role of entrepreneurship in fuelling Africa’s digital economy, and connect African tech start-ups and scale-ups to investors.
“This is the third AHUB event at AfricaCom and this year, it has attracted an exceptional array of would-be participants. Africa’s digital-tech-innovation-start-up arena is a hotbed of life-solution innovation and a veritable playground for savvy investors” says Tom Cuthell, Portfolio Director, KNect365, organiser of the event.
The AHUB enables entrepreneurs to share ideas, collaborate and connect with the most active and sophisticated VCs, funds and angel investors. At the same time, investors, funds, VCs and private equity partners will get the chance to meet with business-ready start-ups and see the breakthrough developments in Africa’s tech ecosystem.
Highlights of what else can be expected at the AHUB at this year’s 20th anniversary of AfricaCom:
- Find out how investors think and visit one of the many investor clinics, round table discussions, or arrange informal meetings through the AfricaCom app.
- AHUB visitors also have the opportunity to network informally every day with a variety of social mixers on offer where attendees can relax and network.
- And if you’re an aspiring African start-up wanting to position your brand in front of Africa’s top technology companies, you can apply to the AHUB start-up program. Simply submit your companies details and the organisers will let you know if you have been accepted into AfricaCom’s premier start up event.
- Meet 20 of the most promising digital start-ups in Africa in an informal live pitch session at which The World Bank presents its XL Africa programme participants. On Tuesday, 7 November from 14:30 – 15:30, this is an exclusive opportunity to meet top digital scale-ups from across the continent one week before the official XL Africa Venture Showcase. The XL Africa program has been designed by the World Bank to support later stage tech companies to raise investment.
- Hear Facebook’s perspective on empowering the architects of Africa’s digital futureon Thursday, 9 November from 10:50 – 11:10. Discover the role of large corporates in supporting African tech entrepreneurs, the success stories to date and measures being taken to close Africa’s digital skills gap. This session will also provide tools and resources to help start-ups to scale up and explain how ICT4D initiatives are creating new opportunities for tech start-ups and SMEs.
- Find out why tech start-ups should partner with African MNOsat the AHUB’s ‘when innovation and entrepreneurship meet scale and reach’ discussion on Thursday, 9 November from 12:00 – 12:30. Listen to the experts pinpoint synergies and what’s in it for who and discover what start-up and mobile operator collaboration looks like. Learn about the key elements of a successful partnership and how start-ups should engage mobile operators
- An extremely effective way to meet your target audience and leverage time and effort across Africa’s largest technology show is to take part in the AHUB meeting service. By meeting your target audience, you cut right to core of why you need to be there:
To meet the VCs and Funds looking to invest in Africa’s technology landscape, and to meet significant innovators and entrepreneurs that will scale in Africa’s TMT sector. There are two ways you can set up these critical meetings:
- through a one-on-one basis arranged in advance and on site at the show;
- and through a speed networking function pre-registered, but held at the show within the AHUB space.
Don’t forget to register online to secure a FREE visitor’s pass.
See https://tmt.knect365.com/africacom/ for more information and the agenda.
