For the first time, She Leads Africa is giving the public the opportunity to select the top finalists for their 2015 Entrepreneur Showcase through the People’s Choice Award.
This year, the She Leads Africa community has the opportunity to vote for their favourite of 12 semi-finalists and the entrepreneur with the most votes will automatically become a finalist and will pitch at the Entrepreneur Showcase. The campaign opens on July 28 and closes on August 4; votes can be made by visiting www.sheleadsafrica.org.
By voting, members of the She Leads Africa Community will fast track their favourite semi-finalist to the final round of the Entrepreneur Showcase. Finalists will compete for $15,000 in cash prizes, media features in international news outlets, and exclusive meetings with top investors.
“Our community is made up of Africa’s growing and savvy consumer base so asking for their help in selecting the finalists is a no brainer. With their votes they’ll be able to show us the products and services they’d like to see in the market,” says She Leads Africa co-founder Yasmin Belo-Osagie.
This year’s application pool was impressive with nearly 300 applications from 30 countries. The pool of applicants were narrowed down by an external SLA review committee of venture capital, finance, consulting and business development professionals. The businesses were judged on the strength of their management team and the clarity of their plan for growth. Businesses came from a range of industries including consumer goods, technology, fashion and services.
The Showcase is the premier platform for young female entrepreneurs looking to grow and scale their businesses across Africa, and will take place between the 24th and 26th of September in Lagos.
