For the first time, She Leads Africa is giving the public the opportunity to select the top finalists for their 2015 Entrepreneur Showcase through the People’s Choice Award
This year, the She Leads Africa community has the opportunity to vote for their favourite of 12 semi-finalists and the entrepreneur with the most votes will automatically become a finalist and will pitch at the Entrepreneur Showcase. The campaign opens on July 28 and closes on August 4; votes can be made by visiting www.sheleadsafrica.org.
By voting, members of the She Leads Africa Community will fast track their favourite semi-finalist to the final round of the Entrepreneur Showcase. Finalists will compete for $15,000 in cash prizes, media features in international news outlets, and exclusive meetings with top investors.
“Our community is made up of Africa’s growing and savvy consumer base so asking for their help in selecting the finalists is a no brainer. With their votes they’ll be able to show us the products and services they’d like to see in the market,” says She Leads Africa co-founder Yasmin Belo-Osagie.
This year’s application pool was impressive with nearly 300 applications from 30 countries. The pool of applicants were narrowed down by an external SLA review committee of venture capital, finance, consulting and business development professionals. The businesses were judged on the strength of their management team and the clarity of their plan for growth. Businesses came from a range of industries including consumer goods, technology, fashion and services.
The Showcase is the premier platform for young female entrepreneurs looking to grow and scale their businesses across Africa, and will take place between the 24th and 26th of September in Lagos.
She Leads Africa has many programs aimed at supporting and investing in high growth female entrepreneurs. Young women interested in learning more about these opportunities and joining the She Leads Africa community can join here.
She Leads Africa is a social enterprise dedicated to supporting high growth female entrepreneurs on the continent. The organisation has been featured on CNBC Africa, Black Enterprise and Fox Business and its co-founders were named by Forbes as two of the 20 youngest power women in Africa (2014).
The Semifinalists:
(1) Aqua Clean: – produces low cost, effective ceramic water filters for low income communities in kenya
(2) Beauty Rev NG: – is an e-commerce company and online community for African makeup artists and beauty bloggers
(3) Bhala Africa: – writes and publishes afrocentric children’s book series reflecting African children in a modern, positive setting and books in African languages
(4) Chika’s: – is a snacks company dedicated to recreating the authentic and wholesome tastes of West Africa with a range of delicious savouries
(5) Closet49: – empowers women to find confidence and style in affordable clothing whilst generating income
(6) Heat Free Hair Movement: – is the first manufacturer of virgin hair exclusively created to blend with African textured, kinky, and curly hair
(7) Heels in the Kitchen: – is a cooking show with a fashion and style edge from a Gordon Bleu trained chef
(8) Instahealth: – connects patients to doctors and healthcare information via their mobile phone
(9) Kamokini: – is an African swimwear & accessories brand that caters to the average body-conscious yet stylish individual
(10) Nuekie: – is an innovative health and beauty company for people of color
(11) Pauline’s Cosmetics: – is a Kenyan-owned makeup company that promotes African beauty with products infused with shea butter and vitamin A & E
(12) Omo Alata Foods: – is a food service brand focused on the production and sale of hygienically processed and packaged local Nigerian soups, spices and pepper