With the launch of nominations for the Global Startup Awards (GSA) Africa, future-shapers from all 55 African Union member states will have the opportunity to compete in the world’s largest independent startup ecosystem-driven competition for the first time.
The Awards provide visibility to the full ecosystem value chain, as well as important global connections and opportunities to develop partnerships across Africa.
Despite the global pandemic’s consequences, more African businesses closed funding rounds in 2020 than in any prior year.
We realized it was time to put Africa on the map by elevating the African innovation brand and displaying it to the world,” says Caitlin Nash, Co-Founder of the Global Innovation Initiative Group, which owns the GSA Africa rights. “In addition to worldwide exposure, startups and those who assist them will have access to a global network as well as cross-border collaboration opportunities.”
The competition honors and honours all components of the startup ecosystem, from the businesses themselves to the people who make them possible, as well as the organizations that collaborate with these visionaries to make amazing things happen.
The GSA Africa goal and competition categories this year are connected with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which aims to feed Africa, industrialize Africa, integrate Africa, and, ultimately, improve the quality of life for Africans.
“This is the first year that GSA Africa will reach all 55 member states of the AU – a huge stride for African innovation,” Mara Zhanet, a GSA Africa Country Partner and the leader of Zambia’s Jacaranda Hub, concludes. The Awards will aim to connect rising African inventors to unrivaled prospects by bringing African invention to the globe and putting African inventors on the global stage.”
The following are the categories for this year’s contest:
Women in Tech
AgriTech
HealthTech
CommerceTech
IndustrialTech
ESG Tech
Startup of the Year
Best Newcomer
Founder of the Year
VC of the Year
Best Accelerator/Incubator Program
Best Co-working Space
Visit www.GlobalStartupAwards.com/africanstartupawards to enter or nominate a future-shaper from Africa. The deadline for submissions is July 31, 2021.
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