Were bringingStartup Battlefield back to Africa on December 11, and were excited to announce our jam-packed agenda that highlights the best and brightest startups in the region.For months weve been poring through hundreds of applications looking for innovative startups based in Africa.
It was tough; the competition was fierce.
But we were able to find 15 innovative companies to compete for the top prize.Each company will present a six-minute pitch in front of a panel of judges, vying for US$25,000 in no-equity cash.
But thats not all! Winners will receive a trip for two and the opportunity to compete in Startup Battlefield at TechCrunch Disrupt SF in 2019.
In addition to Startup Battlefield, we have exciting panels covering many facets of startup funding in Africa, as well as the blockchain.Its not too late to buy your tickets to this exciting event.
Join us as we crown the next startup champion in Africa.
Get your ticketshere.
We still have a few tricks up our sleeves and will be adding some new names to the agenda over the next few weeks, so keep your eyes open.
In the meantime, check out these agenda highlights:9:30 AM 10:40 AMStartup Battlefield Session 1TechCrunchs iconic startup competition is back in Africa! Watch as entrepreneurs from around the region pitch expert judges and vie for the Battlefield Cup.The first preliminary round of five contestants.10:40 AM 11:05 AMExpats, Repats and Africans with Chris Folayan (Mall for Africa), Shikoh Gitau (Safaricom) and Lexi Novitske (Singularity Investments)Africas tech sector is reshaping the movement of people, investment, and talent between the continent and the world.
But what are the pros and cons of repatriates returning to launch companies, expats choosing Africas tech scene over others, and VCs deploying greater capital to region11:20 AM 11:40 AMKeynote byKonstantinosPapamiltiadis(Facebook)Facebooks Director of Platform Partnerships discusses the Facebook developer ecosystem.
Sponsored by Facebook.11:40 AM 12:40 PMStartup Battlefield Session 2The second preliminary round of five contestants.1:40 PM 2:40 PMStartup Battlefield Session 3The third preliminary round of five contestants.2:40 PM 3:00 PMFireside Chat with Funke Opeke (Main One)Dubbed as the person responsible for powering broadband across all of West Africa, Funke Opeke has become one of the most well-known people in the African tech community.
MainOne, a telecoms company Opeke leads as CEO, is responsible for driving internet use across West Africa by investing in digital infrastructures.
In this fireside chat, we will whats next and how to equip entrepreneurs with the necessary resources to build scalable businesses.3:00 PM 3:25 PMInvesting in African Startups with Kola Aina (Ventures Platform), Marieme Diop (Orange Digital Ventures) and Omobola Johnson (TLcom Capital) Discussing the unique landscape of the African startup ecosystem and what can be learned from Silicon Valleys approach to venture capital.3:40 PM 4:55 PMStartup Battlefield FinalThe final round.
One of these five finalists will be the winner of Startup Battlefield.4:55 PM 5:15 PMComing Soon!5:15 PM 5:40 PMBlockchains Potential in Africa with Olugbenga Agboola (Flutterwave), Nichole Yembra (Greenhouse Capital) and Olaoluwa Samuel-Biyi (SureRemit)As crypto fever gripped many leading economies in 2018, Africa was shaping its own blockchain narrativeone more grounded in utility than speculation.
Over the last year, the continent saw several ICOs and token launches.
And use cases for blockchain in Africa are emerging to solve problems and unlock potential in agriculture, solar-energy, health-care, government, and beyond.
5:40 PMStartup Battlefield Closing Awards CeremonyWatch the announcement of the Startup Battlefield winner.