The 2023 MEST Africa Challenge is a Pan-African pitch competition that offers early-stage technology startups an opportunity to accelerate their growth and traction. This year, the competition is open to startups based in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Kenya, and South Africa.
Overview
The MEST Africa Challenge (MAC) is organized by MEST Africa. The competition targets sectors such as Agritech, Biotechnology and medical research, Clean technology and energy, Creative, media and entertainment, E-commerce, Education, Fashion, Fintech, health, HR and recruitment, Legal Services, Logistics, Marketing and PR, New media, Real estate, Retail.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the competition, startups must meet the following criteria:
- Be an early-stage technology startup
- Be operational in either Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa or Senegal
- Have a minimum of $5k Monthly Recurring Revenue
- Have raised $0 to $1M cumulative funding
- Be in existence for 3 years and below
- Have at least 6 months of recurring revenue
- Have at least 2 founding team members
- Registration in Delaware is preferred but not mandatory
- All participants must pitch in English
Timeline
The timeline for the 2023 MEST Africa Challenge is as follows:
- Application opens: 28th August 2023
- Application closes: 9th October 2023
- Regional Finalist Announcement: 3rd November 2023
- Regional Finals: 20th November 2023 – 24th November 2023
- Finalist announcement: 27th November 2023
- Final Demo Day: December 2023
Benefits
Winners of the competition stand a chance to win the coveted USD 50,000 in equity. They also gain global recognition and become part of MEST Africa’s lifelong supportive community. This platform catalyzes startups to unlock the next phase of their business growth.
Conclusion
The 2023 MEST Africa Challenge presents a unique opportunity for African startups to showcase their innovative solutions and entrepreneurial prowess. With substantial equity investment and access to a global community on offer for the winners, this competition is set to unlock the potential of African startups. For inquiries about the challenge, you can email [email protected]1.
