On December 11th, Techcrunch will host one of the best start-up competitions of Africa: Startup Battlefield Africa . The globally recognized competition that is already happening on a regular basis in the USA and in Europe is gaining new destinations. Recently, Techcrunch was waiting for new applicants for the Latin American competition that will take place in Brazil. The Africa version will take place on December 11 in Lagos, Nigeria.

Techcrunch wants to take advantage of this competition to give a chance to all innovative startups to enter the competition. The organization has therefore added an extra week to register, promising that this event could change the lives of the winners. Indeed, in addition to a financial prize, just the visibility gained via Techcrunch would be worth attending this event.

Advantages of Startup Battlefield Africa

Since 2007, more than 750 startups have participated in Techcrunch pitch competitions. And among these candidates we find known startups like Dropbox for example. Overall, start-ups that participated in the organization’s competitions raised $ 8 billion and 102 startups met with success and with big exits. 15 new startups and 15 new CEOs will be promoted at Startup Battlefield Africa.

If the probability of success of the startup will not necessarily be higher, the Techcrunch’s competition is still worth it. The main advantage is the media exposure that it can give to startups. An article in this ultraconnected webzine is a very good start for a PR strategy. Indeed, Techcrunch has a very strong authority in the field of startups and innovation in general. Of course, the articles of the site are very read, by investors but also by other bloggers who will in turn be interested in your startup. Finally, participation in this competition is completely free ! You do not take any risks!

At the end, a startup will earn the title of “Champion Battlefield Africa 2018 Techcrunch “. The winning startuppers will receive a $ 25,000 grant without a stake. And they will also receive a trip for 2 to San Francisco to compete at the world level.

You know what you have to do to become part of the next list of 10 biggest African fundraisings !

Organization of Startup Battlefield Africa 2018

TechCrunch editors will review each and every applications that meet the eligibility criteria below. In the end, they will only choose 10 startups that will be in the competition. Startuppers will receive free coaching from the executives of the Startup Battlefield contest. The day of the competition, the founder will pitch on stage and answer the questions of the jury!

Indeed, the teams of startuppers will have 6 minutes to present the pitch of their startup . They will also have to present a demo of their product or service to the jury composed of selected guests. Investors will be present and will be able to challenge the teams. This can be a good start to see what to expect at the first round of fundraising. Finally, after each pitch, the jury will have 6 minutes to ask questions. Startups will come back several times with different juries each time.

Criteria for Entering the TechCrunch Contest

Here are the 4 eligibility criteria for Startup Battlefield Africa:

  • Be an early-stage startup
  • Have a prototype or a beta that is in production phase
  • Have received limited media coverage so far
  • Do not have litigation on intellectual property

* Residents of the following countries can submit their applications:

Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.