Startups from Egypt and Kenya have been named amongst the finalist of the Global Entrepreneurship Network’s Startup Open competition, which will see them receive mentorship and compete for a spot at 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The 10 finalists were selected from more than 1,000 founders from 101 countries, and will automatically gain membership in the GEN Starters Club and access to mentorship, exposure and curated networking opportunities.
The overall winner will be announced on January 5, receiving an all-expenses-paid trip to Johannesburg to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in March 2017.
Among the finalists are Egypt’s QEYE, which provides automatic quality inspection systems using machine vision technology for industries that typically follow manual procedures, and Kenyan haircare line Marini Naturals.
These two African startups will compete against Israeli startups BrighTap and Karz, US company meetHere, UK firm OneTest Diagnostics, Malta’s Freshy, Colombia’s Cookies and Cookies, and Indian startups OpenWater and Boltt Sports Technologies for the place at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress.
“These individuals and co-founder teams are innovators on the verge of becoming industry disruptors – you see their promise and that they are ready to take their ventures to the next level,” said Jonathan Ortmans, president of the Global Entrepreneurship Network.
“This group of entrepreneurs, and others like them, are driving economic growth and social value in all economies and cultures of the world.”
