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African Startup funding. Credit: Google
African startups are among the innovators vying for a share of the $200m global investment fund at the Supernova Challenge 2.0, the flagship pitch competition held at Expand North Star in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The competition narrowed the field from 150 selected startups to 20 finalists on Tuesday, who will compete on Wednesday, for the opportunity to secure funding.
The finalists will undergo rigorous pitch coaching sessions designed to refine their presentations, the organisers said in a statement.
“These coaching sessions will be held in a closed-door setting from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., where each finalist will deliver a 2-minute pitch followed by feedback on style and presentation slides from a designated pitch coach.”
Among the top 20 is a Zambian fintech startup, Lupiya, recognized for its innovative financial access solutions.
The co-Founder of Lupiya, Muchu Kaingu commented, “This achievement is a testament to the hard work of the entire team at Lupiya. We’re excited to compete with the best in the world and showcase how our fintech solutions can transform communities globally.”
The judging panel for the finale includes notable industry figures such as Managing Director at Techstars, Vijay Tirathrai, Investor at Rockstart, Elisabeth, Head of Middle East at Abra Ventures, Ravi Lakhani, and others.
Notably, several Nigerian startups had advanced beyond the initial startup phase to showcase their innovations, but the PUNCH cannot independently verify if any of these Nigerian startups made it to the final 20.
These startups include Chao, which helps students quickly and reliably order food, groceries, and medicine deliveries to campuses; Seamfix, a digital identity solutions provider; RAIN (Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Nigeria), which specialises in AI and robotics training; and Shekel Mobility.
The Executive Vice President of DWTC, the organiser of GITEX Global and Expand North Star, Trixie LohMirmand, stated, “We shall close the year with significant manoeuvres from our tech community doubling down on global collaborations and calculated engagements amongst governments, enterprises, investors, start-ups, academics, and researchers to forge competitive advantages in the race towards digital supremacy on a regional and global scale.
“With international participation in GITEX Global 2024 rocketing by almost 40 per cent, it’s a barometer of the unstoppable ambitions of many young rising digital nations who are now confidently forging their ways into the future global AI economy through GITEX, the most global tech event brand in the world—with events in Germany, Singapore, Morocco, and Nigeria—and Expand North Star strategically propelling the next generation of AI-driven technologies by start-ups, scale-ups, and unicorns,” she stated.
