CATAPULT is a 1-week training and networking bootcamp, hosted in Luxembourg between 5th and 9th November 2018, for 12 Fintech companies working to develop financial inclusion in Africa.
The program is run in English. Travel and accommodation costs for the participating Fintech companies will be covered.
The principle aim of CATAPULT is to provide support to promising Fintech for Financial Inclusion startups, and help them move to the next stage of their development in Africa and in Europe.
Application DEADLINE is Tuesday 25th September: http://catapult.lu
Parallel to the focus on startups, the bootcamp will support the promotion of Fintech for Financial Inclusion topic to the broader Responsible Finance sector in Luxembourg and beyond, to include PFIs, MFIs, Fund Managers, Philanthropists, Advisory and Support firms. The goal is to highlight and promote synergies, collaboration and potential partnerships between the participating Fintechs and these institutions.
Finally, the bootcamp aims to promote and draw attention to the importance and value of Fintech for Financial Inclusion, through local and international media exposure, with the goal of focusing broad attention to the initiatives that are driving positive change in Africa.
Criteria
Startups selected could range from pre-seed to Series A stage. In general, the bootcamp is stage-agnostic as it aims to further support promising early-stage startups in the fintech for financial inclusion space and create synergies between them, partners, sponsors, investors, Microfinance institutions (MFI) and Public Financial Institutions (PFIs).
- Must be a Fintech company with a clear financial inclusion focus
- Should ideally be a solution that is directly beneficial to work in partnership with a traditional financial institution and/or MFI/PFI
- Must be delivering a solution directly applicable to the target region: Africa
- Should have a minimum viable product already that it would be capable to implement in a pilot project
- Should have meaningful customer or business validation (not limited to revenue, can also be successful pilot studies, number of users, and/or strategic partnerships)
- Must have a strong and well-balanced team. Key areas such as sales, technology development and operations should be covered internally
- Prior funding raised is an advantage but is not a limiting factor for the selection.
CATAPULT Africa is provided by the LHoFT (The Luxembourg House of Financial Technology). The LHoFT Foundation is a public – private sector initiative that drives technology innovation for Luxembourg’s financial services industry, connecting the domestic and international Fintech community to develop solutions that shape the world of tomorrow.
