Hackathon from Harare to Cape Town
Participants will therefore consist of international and African innovators in equal parts. Upon arrival in Cape Town, the pitch will take part in the framework of the Global Entrepreneurship Week event "Get in The Ring".
A jury consisting of business and media representatives will judge the presentations and developed prototypes. By creating ties between entrepreneurs, investors, and business representatives, the final day of StartupBus Africa will ideally deliver measurable results, providing business models with the financing required to become reality.
On their way from Harare to Cape Town, the "Buspreneurs" will visit local tech and start-up hubs to exchange experiences with successful entrepreneurs in the area. The Buspreneurs will learn about the obstacles one encounters upon founding a start-up in Africa and how to overcome them.
Networking with the local ecosystem will happen at several stops: On the bus, business developers, software engineers and designers will organise themselves in working groups suiting their respective business ideas. This way practical experiences and the exchange with successful entrepreneurs will translate into tangible business models.
Lasting business ties
Fabian Guhl, co-founder of StartupBus Africa, says: "Tours in the US and Europe have shown that valuable contacts established on the StartupBus are maintained by entrepreneurs in the long run and make for continued knowledge transfer and lasting business ties. Facilitating cooperation and networking of African entrepreneurs especially in the domain of tech media is absolutely vital considering the rapid growth of the market."
Maja Andejelkovic, mobile innovation specialist with infoDev, a World Bank team that supports technology entrepreneurship, applauds StartupBus Africa's team of volunteers: "The StartupBus model is new and unconventional, but the team's sense of adventure amid uncertainty is something African entrepreneurs can relate to very well. The project's uniqueness has the potential to generate curiosity from experienced mentors and entrepreneurial talent, while drawing attention of investors to the continent's growth potential. We will be following the project with interest."
Regarding the contents, the overall focus of StartupBus Africa lies in the fields of healthcare, mobile and energy. Experts indicate that these sectors offer large growth potential. At the same time innovative solutions in those fields can help tackling and mastering some of the region's most elementary problems. To connect creative minds and help their visions for these fields of interest become reality: that's the goal of StartupBus Africa 2013.
Interested entrepreneurs can apply at www.africa.startupbus.com until 15 October. The program is financed by sponsoring and crowd funding. Interested supporters can aid the cause on the campaign platform indiegogo starting at 5€. Sponsors who would like to participate at the final event in Cape Town may purchase an advanced sponsorship package covering travel and lodging expenses for the Buspreneurs.
