Seedstars World, the global seed-stage startup competition for emerging markets and fast-growing startup scenes, is kicking off its tour this week in Cape Town.
The event will take place at Workshop 17 tomorrow (27 May) with the startups to pitch to a panel of judges.
The top three startups will be invited to Johannesburg where they will compete with the best startups of Durban and Soweto, of which one will be crowned the most promising seed-stage startup of Seedstars World South Africa 2016.
The South African competition is carried out with the support of Standard Bank, which will further support the startups on their path to success.
The 10 startups that are selected to participate at the Seedstars World pitching event are:
* Crew Pencil: An online crew booking and diary service for the film industry that allows diary, bookings and invoicing all in one.
* AirSME: An on demand platform that helps SME’s access and compete in the tender market by providing instant access to skilled individuals.
* Britecamp: A platform where employers can employ and pay socially trusted individuals within the lower skilled labour market.
* Carerott: An online mentorship community that tailors to students from disadvantaged background.
* Farmboek: A dynamic online platform that can house the entire agricultural industry and connected industries in a structured easy way.
* iMobiMama: A mobile pregnancy and retail services that operates as a mini-franchise.
* Pargo: A convenient logistic solution that lets customers collect and return their parcels at a local store when it suits them best.
* The Student Hub: An EdTech company that delivers tailored content, tools and systems for students to get homework done and preps them for their exam.
* WumDrop: Wumdrop allows people to pick up and drop off anything with the click of a button.
* Tribal Tourist: An online travel agency for all adventure related vacations.
“Year over year, Cape Town is bringing its best foot forward and showcases the incredible variety and diversity, but also quality of companies that are being built right here in Cape Town. We are very much looking forward to be inspired by the pitches on 27 May,” says Marcello Schermer, regional manager for Africa.
“In order to provide local entrepreneurs with this opportunity and aiming to deliver the best possible event, Seedstars World is closely working with Standard Bank as we continue to support entrepreneurs with their growth and development needs through incubation programmes in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town,” says Jayshree Naidoo, head of the Standard Bank Incubator.
In addition, Entrepreneur Traction will act as the local ambassador across the continent and will represent the initiative throughout the year. Other partners include local and international organisations, such as Omidyar Network, Payfast and Seedspace. In addition, Seedstars World is working with the Jacobs Foundation this year, which will award $50 000 to the best global education startup.
