Applications have opened for the Sparkup! Live pitching competition in Cape Town, which offers selected startups the chance to pitch for immediate investment of up to ZAR1 million (US$85,000).
Sparkup! Live has run alongside the annual Net Prophet conference in Cape Town since 2011, and involves a three days of intense business grooming followed by a live audience investor pitch session.
Applications are now open until April 13, with the selected startups to be announced on April 20. The weekend programme takes place on May 8-10, with 15 startups having the chance to pitch for investment at a Dragons’ Den-style event on May 11.
“Up to 15 startups are given the opportunity to set their business up to compete on a global level,” the organisers said.
“This fully funded three-day programme is facilitated by a range of seasoned experts, coaches and mentors who take teams through all the elements they’ll need to prepare their businesses for investment. Plus they stand a chance to pitch their idea and secure on the spot investment at Sparkup! Live.”
Last year, three Cape Town startups earned promises of funding at the event, after 12 startups took part in 32-hours of intensive coaching and mentorship. The favoured startups were Ekaya, 8Bit and Shopstar.
