Are you a promising new startup in East Africa looking for a chance to pitch to investors? Now is your chance to apply and pitch at the annual Nairobi Innovation Week (NIW).

The Nairobi Innovation Week Startup Program

The Nairobi Innovation Week Startup Program is a platform for discovering and showcasing the most promising new startups in the East African region. The startup program seeks to attract the best investors to initiate funding conversations with startups. The Nairobi Innovation Week Startup Program is easily the best part of the annual Nairobi Innovation Week (NIW) organized by stakeholders in the regional innovation ecosystem.

The Nairobi Innovation Week (NIW) 2019

During this year’s NIW, 30 startups will be selected to pitch and the 6 Most Promising Startups 2019 feted by the best investors in the ecosystem. The Nairobi Innovation Week will be held on the 10th -14th of June at the University of Nairobi Great Court.

Eligible startups are set to scale, network, get discovered by investors, partners, customers, mentors and the media. The startups will also learn from some of the best coaches and mentors available.

The select thematic areas for this year’s NIW year are:

• Agriculture and Food Security
• Health and Life Sciences
• Manufacturing and Processing
• Innovative Housing
• Cleantech and Renewable Energy
• Education and Employability
• Fintech
• Governance and Civic Tech
• Transport and Logistics
• eCommerce and Business Services
• Gaming and Entertainment
• Hardware Innovations

Eligibility

• Startups in early stage and growth stage are eligible.
• Participating startups are expected to complete creating and updating their profiles and those of their team members.
• Have at least one founder who is a citizen of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia, South Sudan, or Burundi.
• Have its primary customer segments in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda Ethiopia, South Sudan or Burundi.
• Have at least two team members linked to their online startup profile.

Please note: Startups with existing profiles on the NIW.Startups portal will only need to update their profiles for consideration in 2019.

Eligible startups are expected to be at various growth levels. For purposes of determining the 6 most promising startups, 3 each will be selected from the two growth stage categories characterised in Growth Stage and Launch Stage startups.

For purposes of being among the 30 pitches, organizers of the sectoral/thematic tracks will choose the 6 startups ranked highest by judges that demonstrate relevance to the sector from the information in their online profile.

How to Apply

If you are eligible based on the above details, follow the link below and register to join the Nairobi Innovation Week Startup Program.

Click here to Register

Deadline: 5th April 2019

Competition, Workshop

Tags: East Africa, Nairobi Innovation Week, NIW, NIW.Startups, startups, University of Nairobi