The 26th Harvard Business School Africa Business Conference will be held on February 16th – 17th, 2024 with the theme “Africa Forward: Competing in a Global Era.” As part of the conference, the Africa Business Club will be hosting the New Venture Competition which seeks to showcase the diversity of entrepreneurs making a difference on the continent today.
“The competition invites African and Africa-focused entrepreneurs who are dedicated to shaping our future. We highly encourage individuals who provide distinctive, locally tailored solutions to apply if they meet the following eligibility criteria:
– Early-stage startups, whether for-profit or not-for-profit.
– Focused on Africa, with the majority or all of their operations based on the continent.
– Employing fewer than 50 individuals.
– Having less than 5 years of operational history.
– Having raised less than $1,000,000 in funding to date.
From the pool of applications, 10 semi-finalists will be invited to pitch their business in front of over 1,000 attendees at Harvard Business School on Friday, February 16th, and 3 winners will be selected. The judges will evaluate its potential for economic success and the likelihood of achieving that success based upon the team’s plan, experience, and the validation of key assumptions and a clear and convincing presentation .
The winner and runner-ups for second and third place will be awarded cash prizes of $30,000, $15,000, and $10,000, respectively.
NVC semi-finalists will have the opportunity to get feedback, advice, and input from conference participants as well as senior partners at Africa-focused VCs from across the continent.
Select ventures will also have the opportunity to showcase their companies at the Startup Fair networking and recruiting event and attend networking lunches with distinguished panelists.
Applications are now open and will close by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, November 15, 2023. Contact [email protected] for any questions or clarifications.
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