Applications Now Open for 2016 Diaspora Demo Day Pitch Competition

tiphub Africa partners with the US Chamber of Commerce to celebrate entrepreneurship in Africa and the African Diaspora

AfriTrade CEO Chioma Achebe Pitches their Mobile Investment Platform on Stage at Diaspora Demo Day [L] Beyonic COO Dan Kleinbaum pitches at Diaspora Demo Day [R]

tiphub Africa is now accepting application for Diaspora Demo Day 2016. The largest celebration of African innovation outside of the continent of Africa, the showcase aims to spotlight high impact tech ventures and social enterprises based in Africa and the African Diaspora. The event will be embedded in a 3-day summit set to include complimentary workshops and networking receptions.

Expert Panelists Chinesom Ejiasa, Director of Private Equity of OPIC (L) and Samer Altaher, Program Manager of MENA Vital Voices listen in on startup pitches

Selected startups will participate in a 6 week virtual accelerator in preparation of the showcase. They will then pitch their concepts to an audience of 300+ Angels, VCs, Impact Investors, Innovation Enthusiasts, fellow entrepreneurs, industry experts, and an esteemed panel of world renowned judges for a chance to win an assortment of prizes as well as to collect invaluable insights to be used towards business enhancement and technical advancement.

Diaspora Demo Day applications are open to all persons who are 18 years and older with a technology enabled company based in, focused on, or with one or more founders from the continent of Africa, the African Diaspora or of African descent. Applicants may only submit one application per year and must adhere to the following criteria:

The startup must have been launched within the last 2 years.

If the startup has received external funding, it can only be up to USD 0.5m.

The startups must have a demonstrable product or service (Minimum Viable Product, MVP).

The founders of the startup must be prepared to talk about it in public.

Startups from the following sectors are strongly encouraged to apply, even though all sectors will be considered: Health, Education/Job Preparedness, Smart Energy, Logistics, Fintech, Agritech or enabling more efficient commerce for SMEs.

“Diaspora Demo Day is a bold demonstration of both collaboration and innovation in Africa and the African Diaspora,” says tiphub Executive Director Chinedu Enekwe. “Diaspora Demo have proven itself to be the springboard and connection point for many fast growing and high impact startups, a track record tiphub intends to build upon.”

With a mission of aiding the launch of the next generation of African startups, tiphub Africa is an investment manager built upon a community of entrepreneurs. Drawing on their extensive network of mentors and industry experts, the organization provides a pipeline to ecosystem mapping, specialized startups support and curated business development resources. tiphub is committed to pursuing strategic initiatives that empower entrepreneurs, support impact, and frontier investors and stimulate economic, civic, and social growth for their community.

Thando’s CEO Taffi Woolward Tables during the Expo Hall at Diaspora Demo Day

Startups and social enterprises interested in participating can learn more and apply at www.DiasporaDemo.com. The deadline to apply for this year’s pitch competition is August 31^st. Interested entrepreneurs can direct questions or inquiries to Operations Director Chika Umeadi at Chika@tiphub.org.

About Diaspora Demo Day 2.0 [PDF]

To learn more about tiphub or tiphub’s Diaspora Demo Day please go to www.tiphub.org and www.DiasporaDemo.com respectively.