GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize 2019

The GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize is an exciting competition that aims to uplift innovative entrepreneurial ventures in the agri-food sector founded by young people across Africa. If you are a young agripreneur with an innovative business venture, you could win one of two US$50,000 cash prizes that will help you change your world and transform the agri-food business.

One male and one female winner will be chosen based on the innovation, originality, scalability and environmental sustainability of your business venture.

Eligibility Criteria

GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize is a fantastic opportunity for young African agripreneurs to take their business venture to the next level. In addition to the US$50,000, the competition also offers these agripreneurs the chance to attend the Africa Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) meeting in Accra, Ghana. Our finalists will also receive mentorship (to be confirmed), programming linkages (to be cofirmed) and guidance to continue their entrepreneurial journey.

The Entrepreneur

• Entrepreneur is aged 35 or below on the date of submission to the competition, and is legally recognised as an adult in country of nationality
• Entrepreneur holds nationality (with an official ID) from a country which is a member of the African Union
• Entrepreneur is the founder/co-founder of the venture he/she represents in the competition and plays an active role in its operations and leadership
• Entrepreneur has no criminal record related to corruption, tax evasion, financial impropriety, felony or other offence, and will provide a signed declaration to that effect, if requested

The Venture

• Venture is already legally registered in a country which is a member of the African Union or will have commenced with the registration of such a legal entity prior to 21 July 2019
• Venture is headquartered in a country which is a member of the African Union
• Venture is designed to be financially sustainable, either as a for-profit business or a non-profit generating some revenue and aiming not to be dependent on donor funding
• Venture plays a role in the agri-food sector and/or supports the development of the agri-food sector through an innovation or process improvement
• The agri-food sector may be defined as businesses including:
  – Agri-food research & development
  – Primary food production (farming)
  – Crop nutrition
  – Irrigation
  – Mechanisation, automation or robotics, including drones
  – Crop protection
  – Hydroponics or urban farming
  – Transport, distribution, storage or logistics
  – Food processing
  – Packaging or marketing
  – Food retail or service
  – Waste management or recycling
  – Digital or technology solutions/services to the agri-food sector
  – Innovative finance solutions/services to the agri-food sector
  – Renewable energy or environmental solutions/services to the agri-food sector

Timeline

– An expert jury will review all applications, considering criteria such as innovation, originality, scalability, and environmental sustainability.

– 30 semi-finalists will be notified via Facebook and email at the end of July 2019. Semi-finalists will each be interviewed and asked for further information.

– 12 finalists will be selected by the jury in August 2019. Six male and six female finalists will be notified via Facebook, in person or by email.

– Finalists will be invited to compete in the final live pitching contest at the Africa Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) meeting in Accra, Ghana on Tuesday, 3 September 2019. This will be part of a full week of activities that finalists will be expected to attend, from 2-6 September 2019. Should you not have a valid passport and plan to enter GoGettaz, please apply for one now.

– All 12 finalists will be awarded mentorship, programming linkages and other guidance to continue their entrepreneurial journey.

Application Form Questions

The application includes questions such as:

• “Give an example of your entrepreneurial mindset.”
• “How does your venture make money?”
• “Who are your main customers?”
• “Who are your main competitors?”
• “What are your biggest business challenges so far and how have you overcome them?”

Applicants must fill out each section of the application to be considered. Be sure to allow enough time to complete all sections.

Applicants must also film and submit a video pitch of no longer than three minutes, answering the following questions:

• Who – Introduce yourself and your venture. What is unique about your story?
• What – Tell us what your venture or idea is. What is the potential?
• How – Describe your business model. How is it designed for success, and how is it innovative? Does it use any unique technology or approaches?
• Why – What inspires you about this work? What social impact could it have? What problem does it solve?
• What jobs does it create?

About Generation Africa

Generation Africa is a partnership initiative with a vision to strengthen the ecosystem for youth entrepreneurs in the agri-food sector across the continent. Founding partners are Econet, a privately-held multinational telecommunications, media, energy and technology conglomerate, and Yara International, a global crop nutrition company, founded in Norway.