Yapili has won the Botswana round of the global Seedstars competition earning the E-Health startup the opportunity to pitch for around US$1million in equity investment at the global final in Switzerland next April.
This year global early-stage startups competition Seedstars World has been hosting a series of local events across Africa which has seen winners emerge in countries likelike Mozambique, Tunisia, Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal ,Cameroon, Angola and Morocco
The latest African edition which took place in Botswana on 3 November, 2017 saw 10 startups from Botswana vying for the top prize.
Yapili a Mobile and web-based e-health platform which remotely connects users with doctors was named winner of the Gaborone-based event; with student information service StudentPark coming in second place, and financial services tool Indie Studios Africa, a social e-commerce consultancy Service Provider addressing the needs of the unbanked in emerging markets grabbed the last spot in the top 3.
The other startups from Botswana who were invited to pitch at the event were Jobcard , Keakopa Explore, Leintel Codemasters Holdings, Lunchbox, Medmall Africa, Optimum Q.
The Botswanan winner will join a week-long training programme in Switzerland in April, where the startup will meet the other 75 winners, as well as investors and mentors from around the world.
The programme culminates in the global finals of the competition, which will be held at the Seedstars Summit; where shortlisted startups will pitch in front of an audience of 1,000 attendees for the chance to win up to US$1 million in funding as well as other prizes.
Seedstars Gaborone 2017 was held in partnership with the event’s main partner, Stanbic Bank Botswana, local ambassador Udugu Institute, our regional partners Orange, Enel Green Power, Merck, VC4A and Microsoft4Afrika and local supporters Botswana Innovation Hub, FranklinCovey, Botho University, Google Developer, Afrolutionist.
The members of the jury include: Onkabetse Morapedi, Head Enterprise Banking at Stanbic Bank,Susanne Swaniker-Tettey, Chief Financial Officer at Okavango Diamond Company, Thabiso Mashaba Co-Founder These Hands, Claudia Makadristo Regional Manager for Africa at Seedstars World.
