The complete list of 30 African startups that would pitch at DEMO Africa holding in September in Lagos, Nigeria has been released by the organizers of the conference. Four startups had earlier been announced and with the announcement of the remaining 26, the journey to DEMO Africa seems to have gotten much clearer.
Out of the 30 startups, 8 are from Nigeria. Mavis Computel, Oga Venue, TalkingBookz, CarpartsNigeria, Zuvaa, SmartEdu, PoshRite, and iKon Tracker. Furthermore, 8 startups were picked from Kenya – InsureAfrika, Abacus, SimbaPay, ENT-Mobile, Bitsoko, BambaPOS, Shield Finance and LipaPlus.
Organizers revealed there are three startups from South Africa that would be pitching at DEMO Africa. They are Edge Books, Bozza and Eco-mc2. Ghana, Egypt, Cameroon and Zimbabwe on the other hand have two reps each, and one each from Uganda, Tanzania and Ivory Coast.
This year, there are more startups in the Finance and Banking category (8). Other popular categories are Education, Transport and Logistics, Retail, Communication and Media, and Entertainment.
The Director General of Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Peter Jack said: “We are excited at the opportunities that technology has presented to our African youths in creating jobs and wealth. This is a great moment in the history of Africa, steadily rising to establish its digital footprint in the world.”
Harry Hare, executive producer of DEMO Africa said: “I would like to congratulate every entrepreneur that took part in the DEMO Africa challenge, though the stage can only accommodate thirty entrepreneurs this year, our pride is particularly in the large numbers of entrepreneurs that continue to support the cause to have Africa generated solutions.”
The 30 startups will participate in a mentorship programme to sharpen the pitching skills of the startup founders.
Yele Okeremi, the Chairman of DEMO Africa’s Local Organizing Committee confirmed that preparations for the event are now in the very final stage “We are excited that local and international players in the transport and accommodation industries have come forth to offer their support. I am confident that we will deliver a world class event.” Mr Okeremi assured.
This year, DEMO Africa introduces knowledge streams to delve into critical topics including Business Modelling, Scaling Businesses, Creating an unfair advantage, and Raising Capital. Top industry players including Jorn Lyseggen-MEST Founder, Harry Tomi Davies-ABAN President, Folabi Esan-Partner, Adlevo Capital, Jason Njoku-IROKO TV CEO among others will lead the discussion.
