2020 AEC Start Up Challenge
The African Economic Congress Startup challenge is an international competition for African startup entrepreneurs from all over the world – organized by AEC in strategic partnerships with Ventures Park.
Every year, we welcome teams from all over Africa and the world, give them access to a large network of founders, mentors and experts, and provide a platform to pitch their ideas to judges and investors.
The AEC start up challenge aims to infuse a philosophy of innovation and nurture technology-led innovations to create jobs and improve livelihoods in Africa. The expected outcome of the competition is to select winning ideas that can lead to new products, programs, projects and processes and to engage young entrepreneurs eager to tackle the challenges they face as well as global challenges through “smart solutions” that transform the economy of Africa and the world.
Here at AEC startup challenge, we guide participants from your first business idea towards your very own company—from idea to enterprise. From the first application round you will be provided with valuable advice by experienced founders and entrepreneurship professionals and get a chance to participate in an interactive session that introduce you to the most important aspects of founding your own business.
The best ten teams will be paired with a personal mentor to guide them through the last application round and prepare them for their pitch during the final event on the African Economic Congress.
Our 3-day finale takes place on the 2 – 4 November 2020, where you can take part in entrepreneurial workshops, find inspiration from the finalist pitches, and grow your network with like-minded people.
HOW IT WORKS
FIRST ROUND
Submit a short summary of your startup idea and how you plan on being profitable directly to startup@aecongress.org. The experienced Ventures Park will review applications and the most promising ideas will enter the second round. Make sure to watch out for valuable advice/hints on our social media pages. This will help you find your startup idea and make the best out of your application!
SECOND ROUND
Teams that go through to this round will be asked to submit a more detailed executive summary of their business ideas. You will be guided by questions about your startup’s value proposition, pricing and sales strategy, financing plans and your visions for the future. All executive summaries will be evaluated by Ventures Park, Nigeria, who are founders with many years of experience in the startup world.
THIRD ROUND
The best 10 applicants will then enter the final round of the AEC startup challenge. Each team will be provided with a personal mentor who will advise them on their final AEC pitch. The final event will take place on the 3rd day of the congress. It will be packed with fascinating talks and workshops given by startup founders and entrepreneurship professionals and motivating startup pitches. Get the opportunity to meet inspiring entrepreneurs from all over the world and network with established accelerators and investors. The final 10 teams have the chance to win boosting prize money as well as several other valuable resources.
Final Event: November 4, 2020, (virtual meeting)
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
- You can apply as an individual or as a team.
- All members of your team who would attend the final event and pitch your idea must be enrolled at Ventures Park throughout the course of the competition (October – November 2020).
- Business ideas submitted to AECSC should not yet have generated revenue more than $20,000 p.a. If you would like to join the AEC startup challenge as a partner, get in touch with our team: startup@aecongress.org