Seedstars World has announced the 10 startups that will pitch at Seedstars World Dar Es Salaam event in Tanzania have been announced.
The global early-stage startups competition for emerging markets and fast-growing startup scenes, in partnership with the Swiss Embassy, COSTECH, and the Human Development Innovation Fund (HDIF) will take place on Thursday, July 20th at Buni Innovation Hub, with the top startup advancing to the global competition in Switzerland to compete for up to 500,000 USD in equity investment.
In line with its mission to place the spotlight on entrepreneurs from emerging markets, Seedstars World is travelling to more than 65 countries this year to identify the best seed-stage entrepreneurs and provide them with an opportunity to win up to USD 500 000 and network with investors and mentors from around the world.
Its previous participants have raised over USD 61M collectively, providing employment to more than 800 employees worldwide.
The 10 startups that were selected to participate at the Seedstars World Dar Es Salaam pitching event are:
Afropremiere
Afropremiere is a platform that helps artists sell their music and video in a way that is proportional to the number of views they get and traction they generate.
Be A Lady
Be A Lady installs sanitary napkin vending machines to make female hygiene products available for all, and accepts coins or cards as forms of payment.
Emakatt
A web and mobile app that allows users to request their laundry to be pickuped up, cleaned, and delivered in a fast affordable way.
Flow Farm
Flow farm and company deals with the improvement of agriculture based on cutting-edge technology as to boost production quality and quantity.
HadithiApp
HadithiApp is a mobile app that allows better distribution channels for ebooks written in kiswahili.
Nefrids Africa Limited
SimuBima is the first of its kind Mobile Phone Insurance Solution designed to reach as many users across Tanzania using digital channels.
ScholarDream Co. Ltd
Scholar Dream is a management system for schools to help student access resources and track their progress, while aggregating all relevant information for parents and teachers in one place.
SOMAAPPS Technologies Limited
SomaApp is a mobile app that lists and matches East African students with thousands of domestic and international scholarships.
tanzDevs Company
TanzDevs is a mobile app that brings normal book contents to life for a richer more entertaining educational experience.
Worknasi
Worknasi is a web platform for office and meeting room sharing, which connects startups with office owners to share office space in return for payment.
“Seedstars World is a platform connecting investors to the next generation of startup entrepreneurs, pulling the spotlight from Silicon Valley and Western Europe. As this will be our 3rd time to organize our event in Dar el Salaam, our excitement level and expectations are high. The winner from last year, Lilian Makoi, the founder of Jamii, a mobile micro-health insurance product for the low income and informal sector, represented Tanzania during the Global Summit. She was amongst the top 12 of finalists and was nominated for the best female entrepreneur prize,” explains Claudia Makadristo, Regional Manager at Seedstars World, “We are impressed by what we have seen in the continent so far and cannot wait to add startups from Tanzania on our map,”
Online Diabetes Service Launched On Apple App Store To Aid Diabetic Patients
mPower Digital Health, a startup incubated at Gauteng’s innovation agency, The Innovation Hub, have launched their online diabetes management service, Empower Diabetes, on the Apple App Store. Empower Diabetes, an innovative online diabetes management service, is aimed at people with Type 2 diabetes and is currently available for download on the Apple App Store for free and a premium service is available for R149/month.
According to the startup, there are more than 3 million people estimated to be suffering from diabetes in South Africa and about 70% of people diagnosed and treated for diabetes are unable to achieve their recommended health targets of blood sugar control. Uncontrolled blood sugar can cause serious complications such as impaired kidney function, foot complications, glaucoma and increased risk of cardiovascular problems. Empower Diabetes has been designed to help patients improve their control through the use of a specially designed mobile application and a personal diabetes coach that has regular contact with patients over messaging to provide guidance and motivation.
Since its incubation at the BioPark business incubator in February 2016, mPower Digital Health has benefited from business and technical mentorship, business training, IP advisory as well as financial and commercialisation support. The BioPark business incubator provides business development support to start-ups in the health, agriculture and industrial biotechnology sectors. The support is provided in collaboration with Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD) and eGoliBio Life Sciences Incubator.
Pan-African private higher education network launched
Actis has launched Honoris United Universities, as the first pan-African private higher education network aimed at preparing and educating the next generation of African leaders and professionals able to impact regionally in a globalised world.
Actis began with ‘beacon’ markets in Francophone Africa, investing in Université Centrale Group, the leading post-secondary education group in Tunisia in December 2014. In 2016, the platform expanded to Morocco, creating a Northern Africa Hub through its investment in Université Mundiapolis, renowned for its international approach and focus on employability.
This week, Actis announced the expansion of Honoris United Universities to South Africa, an important Anglophone beacon market that will anchor the platform in Southern Africa.
Subject to regulatory approvals, Honoris has entered into an investment agreement with Management College of Southern Africa, known as Mancosa, and the Regent Business School. Together, Mancosa and Regent are South Africa’s leading private distance learning institutions, focused on providing accredited, accessible and affordable education.
“Actis has been operating in Africa for over seven decades. Through the businesses in which we invest, we employ over 100,000 people. We understand not only what students are looking for in terms of quality and access but also what their prospective employers are looking for when they graduate. Businesses are looking for applicants with internationally accredited levels of education. Employers in Africa have ambitions across the continent and beyond – they need candidates with global perspectives but who understand the diversity of Africa and their local markets and can demonstrate the skills to operate successfully,” Rick Philips, partner, Actis, said.
