Deadline: 30 July 2014
Unequal access to education, constraining cultural stereotypes, limited opportunities to develop useful networks, and limited access to financing are the 4 Key Barriers that restrict Female Entrepreneurs from their full participation in Africa’s growth story. The early stage start-up entrepreneurs and company leaders (female) seeking platform to showcase their talent to the investors, accelerators, and mentors and grow across Africa are invited to participate in ‘She Leads Africa Pitch Competition.
She Leads Africa is a group of young, global professionals united by the belief that unlocking the potential of female entrepreneurs in Africa can have a transformative impact on the continent’s trajectory.
Prizes
- First Place – US$ 10,000
- Second Place – US$ 5,000
Additional Benefits
- Access to prominent venture capitalists, angel investors and other leading professionals to act as mentors and sponsors
- Consultation on brand development with Etisalat in-house marketing team
- Free business line for one year (including voice and data)
- SME accounting software from SmartStart Ghana
- 2 meetings with legal advisor from top law firm to discuss incorporation, corporate structures and copyrights
- Meeting with 2 executive directors of a leading merchant bank to discuss business plans and fund raising
- Interviews with major media outlets
Timeline
- 30 July – Application Deadline
- 15 August – Announcement of 10 finalists
- 18 August – Selected finalists will be matched with young professional mentors who will help them refine their business plans and develop their pitch decks
- 18 September – Deadline to send in all presentations for pitch competition
- 19 September – Pre-event mixer with judges
- 27 September – Pitch Day
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants can be the entrepreneurs who have a woman on the founding team who will present at the pitch day.
- The female founder must be between 18-35 years old.
- Applicants must be based in an ECOWAS country and focused on the African market.
- The applying company will be eligible only if it has received less than $50K USD in funding.
- The applicant must be in operation for less than 3 years.
- The applicant must have a live product in the market.
For more information, please visit the Pitch Competition.
