E-health startup Macquarie Medical Care has been named winner of the Namibian leg of the global Seedstars World competition, booking a place at the global final and the chance to pitch for US$500,000 in equity investment.
Seed-stage startup competition for emerging markets Seedstars World is selecting national winners from all over the world, including around 30 African countries, and will bring them together at the Seedstars Summit in Switzerland next year to compete for funding and a host of other prizes.
It has already chosen winners in Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Egypt, Morocco, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Angola, The Gambia, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Cape Verde, Tunisia, Malawi, Cameroon, Mauritius, Uganda, Libya, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Zambia, Mali, Botswana and Nigeria, and held its Namibian event in Windhoek yesterday.
Ten startups pitched in front of a local jury panel for a place in the final, with Macquarie Medical Care named the winner. The startup provides a number of services aimed at increasing access to affordable healthcare for its users.
Macquarie will now take part in the global final in Switzerland, where it will have the chance of winning the equity funding, but will also represent Nigeria at the Seedstars Africa regional summit in Johannesburg in December and gain access to a three-month investment readiness programme.
Biotech startup Genetix Metazoa came second, with e-commerce platform Tuma Technologies coming third. The other startups invited to pitch were Autono-Me, Nam-Oceanic Kelp Production Enterprise, Derenas Investments, NamCloud Investments, Tasked Technology, Nghishe Biotech and EstApp.