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The annual Digital Innovation Competition for African Startups.
The annual Digital Innovation Competition for African Startups is facilitated every year by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s U.S.-Africa Business Center (USAfBC) in partnership with AmChams across Africa. Each year, the Competition awards talented innovators, entrepreneurs, and startups behind digital products and services that create a positive impact on African citizens.
The 2022 winner will receive recognition in their home country— and a $25,000 cash prize, among other non-cash prizes!
The competition will be focused on three broad thematic areas:
The in-kind services may include laptops, annual subscriptions to digital platforms, mentoring and digital marketing/advertising services for the top three winners of the competition. The top three winners will also be offered a virtual platform to engage with mentors and participants during the Digital Economy Summit on December 07, 2022.
The total Grand Prize package is worth $25,000. This includes $15,000 in prize money, a 6-month mentorship with a Fortune 500 Tech Company, and a 1-year subscription to digital tools/platforms.
$15,000 2nd Prize Package. The second prize includes $10,000 in prize money, a 6-month mentorship with a Tech Company, and a 6-month subscription to digital tools/platforms.
$10,000 3rd Prize Package. The third prize includes $5,000 in prize money, a 3-month mentorship with a Tech Company, and a 3-month subscription to digital tools/platforms.
Five regional champions will be named and collect $5,000 in prize money, a Plaque of Recognition, and enjoy a 3-month mentorship with Company within their thematic area.
Within its strategic vision, the USAfBC is looking for innovative proposals that, through digital solutions, articulate stories of impact and clearly identify the challenges and actions to implement solutions in the digital space. The Digital Innovation Competition is open to entrepreneurs, startups, and independent innovators who have turned ideas into digital innovation to improve living conditions for Africans amid the pandemic.
To be eligible, an applicant (or their startup) must:
The evaluation process will be carried out in three phases:
PHASE 1 [all applicants]: Following their online submission, the applications will go through a first review round. This review will be carried out by appointed experts. This review starts with an eligibility and exclusion screening. The applicants that do not comply with these criteria will not be further evaluated. The experts will evaluate the eligible applications based on the evaluation criteria and shortlist the 10 best-ranked applications, including regional champions for each of the sub-regions of Africa (North, West, Central, East, and Southern Africa). The 10 shortlisted applicants will be notified about their qualifications and invited to submit an executive summary (3-5 pages maximum) of their innovation and participate in Phase 2.
PHASE 2 [10 shortlisted finalists]: The 10 shortlisted finalists will be invited to pitch their idea in front of a panel of experts, including selected AmCham Representatives in Africa and Industry Leaders with experience and knowledge in the fields of digital transformation, digital services, and business strategies. The panel will carry out the evaluations, and select the top 3 finalists for Phase 3.
PHASE 3 [ top 3 finalists]: The top 3 winners will be featured at the U.S.-Africa 2022 Africa Digital Economy Summit in December 2022, where the first, second, and third place winners will also be announced following live voting by participants of the Summit. The two-minute video pitch of their product/innovation will also be featured. Results will be certified by an external accreditor.