Happy New Month!

This week, we kick off the Solve 4 X: SDGs and COVID-19 virtual meetups with the tertiary students who applied and were accepted to participate. The meetups, whcih are supported by Afrilabs, will be held over the course of 2-and-a-half weeks. They will be moderated by Kasapo Manda, featuring a variety of guest speakers from different fields who will discuss the different SDGs and how to build viable solutions to attain them, taking into consideration the current impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the meetups, the participants will be invited to take part in an 'Ideation' phase where they will explore and refine their solutions.

We also begin working with the Fintechs selected to participate in the FinTech4U Accelerator programme with the UNCDF. This is a 6-month programme that is designed to assist startup fintechs to navigate the regulations and challenges of starting up a fintech business in Zambia. The regulators in this space - Bank of Zambia (BOZ), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA), are also facilitators of this initiative.

This is the final week to submit applications for the Discover preaccelerator programme. Our popular entrepreneurship programme guides upcoming entrepreneurs as they launch their new business, questioning the market, and learning about finances, inclusive of assistance from EY Zambia and Musa Dudhia & Co. The two-week online session begins on Monday, 28 September. Cost: ZMW1,000. Application deadline: Friday, 11 September. Apply here.

The Drone Hackathon Zambia Challenge top 3 finalists were announced last week. They are: 1st Place - Chitula Lukonde; 2nd Place: Eric Chongo; 3rd Place: James Mwakoi. The winners will receive a DJI drone and the Drone-Camp-in-a-box from our partners Global Air Drone Academy (GADA), as well as admission into our Discover pre-accelerator programme. The remaining participants will each receive a beginner drone to use as they develop their business ideas.

See you next week!

Resources

Our COVID-19 Resource Center has curated content to help entrepreneurs manage the effects of COVID-19 on their businesses.

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Our Entrepreneur Resource portal is a comprehensive list of resources and tools to assist entrepreneurs in Zambia. From funding to budgeting tools to networking, it's all here.

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Opportunities In Our Network

The ATU Africa Innovation Challenge 2020 is an Africa-wide competition aimed at identifying and supporting young ICT innovators with disruptive innovations that are useful for benefiting the fight to contain COVID-19, and possibly other emergency situations in the future. Learn more about the challenge here.

Prospero Zambia has released Calls for Concepts under the following sectors:

Food and Agriculture
Mining and Mining Services
Tourism and Hospitality
Business Services
Investment Services

Both Innovation and Technical Assistance grant facilities are available. Learn more here.

Articles

Africa's Tech Hubs are crucial to the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

Tech hubs in Africa play an important role in driving economic growth and development by supporting tech start-ups from the ideation stage through the investor readiness stage. They do this by teaching skills that are necessary for entrepreneurial success-and that are often not taught in traditional educational institutions.

'Merakiolous' - The Evolution of a Cake Boss

As I walked through the aisle of “my local” supermarket, I was struck by a beautiful package in the bakery section of pre-mix ready to make cake. The packaging was for Meraki Cakes. A Zambian brand that is now creating a love mark with consumers.

But how did they get here? Anyone who knows the founder, Chomba Bowa, will know that she was a banker in her previous love before pursuing what is now clearly evident a passion for pastry.

Four African Startups Secure $75k in Investments from Enygma Ventures

Four African startups have secured funding amounting to $75,000 from Startup Circles.ai, courtesy of Enygma Ventures. "Events like these take the mystery out of how investors think and what they are looking for. Essentially, it is like giving you the exam questions and the answers..." Sandras Phiri, Startup Circles CEO said.

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