AMPION and DEMO Africa have announced a collaboration that will see the winner of the AMPION West African Venture Bus join 30 other startups in pitching at the DEMO Africa event in Lagos in September.
Disrupt Africa reported in May pan-African startup competition AMPION had announced it would run five Venture Bus tours on the continent this year, taking in 14 African countries along the way.
The West Africa leg of the Venture Bus begins September 17, passing through Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria. The bus will arrive in Lagos on September 23 in time for DEMO Africa, for which 30 African startups have already been selected to pitch. The Venture Bus winner will be the 31st.
Ifeanyi Oteh, co-founder and managing director of AMPION, called upon entrepreneurs to take advantage of the emerging platforms to enable the creation of stronger products for local and global markets.
“It is on platforms such as DEMO Africa and AMPION that entrepreneurs best receive guidance from players and peers in regards to development of solutions that best meet the existing needs,” he said.
DEMO Africa executive producer Harry Hare welcomed the AMPION team, commending the collaboration of different players in boosting Africa’s startup ecosystems.
“It’s exciting to have the AMPION and all Venture Bus participants taking part in the upcoming DEMO Africa. We believe that it is such joint efforts that will strengthen the call for more stakeholder support,” he said.
The AMPION Venture Bus programme allows startup entrepreneurs to interact with their peers and receive feedback from a wide array of industry players in the countries in which they stop. Selected teams then embark on the AMPION fellowship programme, an incubation programme lasting between six and nine months that assists them in preparing for their first round of investment.
Disrupt Africa reported last month AMPION had joined forces with healthcare firm Merck to launch Africa’s first healthcare accelerator, aimed at fostering the growth of high potential, early-stage e-health startups.
The accelerator will operate out of Nairobi, Kenya, and will accept applications from e-health startups from September 1. It will provide selected startups with customised support from Merck Headquarters’ Innovation Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, as well as mentorship and the potential to secure pilots and synergies with key global players.
