BongoHive
Last Thursday, July 27 2017, we hosted the Slush Global Impact Accelerator (GIA) 2017 Zambia Competition. Ten (10) Zambian impact startups were shortlisted to pitch at the event where Agricomm media, Outsource Now and Agrisave were named the top 3 Zambian finalists for 2017.
Agrisave – Agrisave is built for any farmer that has the interest to grow, financially and knowledge wise in an effort to continue growing & producing and or expand their yield.
Outsource Now – A startup offering offering technology solutions such as inventory management software to help SME-owners operate efficiently and profitably in Zambia.
AgriComm Media – A specialized full service Agricultural centered advertising agency offering marketing consulting and creative production services.
Chisepo Chirwa, Co-founder Outsource Now, Xungileni chitundu, Co-founder AgricComm Media & Chilumba Machona, Founder Agrisave.
The three (3) Zambian finalists will undergo an interview stage with the Slush Global Impact Accelerator team in Helsinki, Finland. After that, Slush will announce the winning startup/founder to participate in the Slush GIA 2017 program. The winning startup/founder will get an all expenses paid trip to Europe biggest startup conference – Slush in Helsinki, Finland this November 2017 and will also attend a three (3) week accelerator programme to help them grow their business and become investor ready.
The judges at the local event were:
Chinedu Koggu – Startup mentor & Chief Technology Officer, Probase.
Emma Harvey – PR, digital marketing and start-up management Specialist Director at Avenir Services Zambia.
Gertrude Okoth – Senior Analyst at Open Capital Advisors.
Last year, 2016, Teledoctor, Musanga logistics and NewTech were the best three (3) startups/pitches at the 2016 Zambia Slush Competition. All three (3) startups went to Slush 2016 in Helsinki and Teledoctor went on to pitch on the main slush stage and won the 2016 Bayer social innovation grant. Overall, 2,300 startups, 1,100 venture capitalists, and 600 journalists from over 120 countries went to Slush to drive business, and to experience the phenomenal atmosphere.
Slush Global Impact Accelerator (GIA) is a program created in collaboration with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and other multiple partners globally. The purpose is to support impact- driven startups and showcase the exciting business opportunities in emerging markets, which are also vital for implementing the Agenda 2030 and solving complex challenges. In addition, the program focuses on strengthening the networks between the impact actors, engaging the Nordic community with the global impact entrepreneurs, and enhancing the mobilization of capital towards an impactful business.