Burgess COMMENTARY
Just saw you are at Demo Africa which is about connecting capital to tech innovation and initiatives ... but isn't there a way to use tech and specifically the Microsoft Cloud to connect capital to essentials in communities starved of investment. All the best ... Peter ... http://truevaluemetrics.org
Peter Burgess

Demo Africa hosts entrepreneurs in Johannesburg from Monday

Harry Hare, the executive director Demo Africa. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA

Demo Africa, the continent’s launch pad for innovations, will host investors and entrepreneurs in Johannesburg to brainstorm on business growth and development of entrepreneurial skills from Monday.

The initiative will host a series of “entrepreneur boot camp and of master-classes” as it strives to connect African startups to the global ecosystem from August 22 to 26 in partnership with the City of Johannesburg, the South African Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the LIONS@FRICA partners.

This year’s edition attracted applications from 700 technology starts-ups but only 30 finalists will showcase their innovations during the event.

The initiative provides a platform for start-ups and investors to meet and possibly work together.

“It will be good to see some deals being made on the floor of the event. We have created a special area, which we call the ‘DealZone’ where investors and entrepreneurs can have investment discussions,” said a source from Demo Africa.

Demo Africa is now in its fifth year and has in the last four years raised more than Sh1.4 billion ($14 million) in investments and business value and hosted 150 businesses.

“We have seen series impact in the last four years, one of the startups launched in 2014 has since gone to raise more than $2 million and employed more than 150 people,” said Harry Hare, the Executive Director, Demo Africa.

Among speakers in attendance will be Amrote Abdella, Reginal Director, Africa Initiatives at Microsoft, Stephen Ozoigbo, African Technology Foundation founder, and Llew Claasen, Venture Capitalist and Bitcoin Foundation Executive Director.