Get in the Ring Africa: 10 most promising startups

PRESS OFFICE: BiD Network

Get in the Ring is a non-profit event concept, initiated by the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship to bring the most promising entrepreneurs from around the world in contact with investors. In 2014 the Investment Battle of Get in the Ring is being organised in over 50 countries with over 2,000 participating startups. Through 50 National Finals and eight Regional Finals eight startups are being selected for the International Final. BiD Network hosts the Regional Final for Africa in Rwanda and will present the 10 most promising African startups.

The 2013 Get in the Ring Regional Final for Africa, held in Rwanda.

The 2013 Get in the Ring Regional Final for Africa, held in Rwanda.

Through participation in the National Finals in several African countries, 10 finalists have been selected to move on to the Regional Final for Africa. Entrepreneurs and investors from all over Africa will come together in Kigali on the 17th and 18th of September to be part of the event. In front of a professional jury of four investors and a public of other investors and entrepreneurs, the finalists will pitch in a unique boxing ring setting. The winning entrepreneur will move on to the International Final on the 21st of November in Rotterdam, where the final eight most promising startups in the world will compete to become the world champion and to secure an investment up to €1,000,000 to grow their business.

The Regional Final of Get in the Ring Africa will take place in Kigali, Rwanda, on September 18 and is a unique platform that brings together entrepreneurs, investors, leaders and experts to explore and activate SME development in Africa.

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Watch the video for an impression of the Investment Battle of Get in the Ring.

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Or contact Marijn Bersgma of BiD Network:

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The 10 finalists:

1. Rocac Group (Kenya)

Rocac Group produces natural coconut water and virgin coconut oil. It is the first brand in Africa to package coconut water and to produce its own brand and product of coconut oil. Rocac Group has a large social impact as they work with local farmers, and provide them with training to improve their production and sustainability.

Finance needed: US$600,000

2. EpoChip (South Africa)

Epochip developed an inventive way of charging mobile phones and other mobile devices by converting radio waves to electrical energy. The final product sold is a fashionable and easy to use bag. It is a completely new possibility to charge wirelessly.

Finance needed: $35,000

3. GoMetro (South Africa)

GoMetro is a data-driven transit app for city transportation, using crowdsourced updates to improve city transportation. GoMetro is a fast-growing business operating in seven cities, with 160,000 users and currently exclusive in the global southern market.

Finance needed: $1,000,000

4. ScreenDy (Morocco)

ScreenDy is a cloud development platform that helps businesses to create their own native and custom mobile apps. Creating apps has never been so quick and simple. ScreenDy is a fast-growing business with over 10m app downloads and around 2,5m unique users.

Finance needed: $1,000,000

5. Paniel Meat Processing (Rwanda)

Paniel is a meat processing company that started by producing pork products but quickly expanded to other types of meat. Today, Paniel supplies hotels and supermarkets with high quality products, and contributes to the community via partnerships with local farmers and by making healthy meat products more accessible. Over the last 2 years, Paniel has experienced an exponential growth of its client base and quadrupled its revenues.

Finance needed: $250,000

6. SOFOTEC (Burundi)

SOFOTEC sells all-natural “super food” supplements to battle widespread malnutrition. SOFOTEC is an established business and the first and only business that produces locally produced food supplements in Burundi. They recently started a new food supplement line. The product has been developed by an experienced team working over 13 years in the Burundi pharmacy industry.

Finance needed: $167,000

7. Madlyn Cazalis (Cameroon)

Madlyn Cazalis is an African hand-made bio cosmetic company that produces body oils, natural lotions, creams, scrubs, masks and soaps, specifically targeted for mixed and darker skins. Madlyn Cazalis products are sold and distributed across more than 50 chemist stores, beauty institutes and retail outlets in Cameroon and neighboring countries in Central Africa.

Finance needed: $400,000

8. Inkisha (Kenya)

Inkisha provides a cheap and environmentally-friendly solution to plastic bags by distributing paper bags and cups to retailers and shopkeepers for a minimal fee. Their business model is based on selling direct marketing advertising space on the paper bags and cups. Inkisha was started in 2014 and has already secured pilot deals with Coca Cola and Safaricom, and is currently in final discussions with one of the main municipalities in Nairobi.

Finance needed: $25,000

9. RedCore Interactive (Uganda)

Remit.ug is a remittance transfer service built by Redcore Interactive that offers real-time debit/credit cards to mobile-money transfers from all over the world to registered mobile-money users in Uganda. Remit.ug is the fastest, cheapest, and safest way for Uganda’s diaspora to send money home. Expanding their services throughout Africa, they are targeting a massive market, as African diaspora send up to $60bn annually to the continent. At an average cost per transaction of 11.89%, Africans spend over $7bn in fees.

Finance needed: $200,000

10. Habona (Rwanda)

Habona Ltd builds simple household biogas plants. The bio-digester produces both energy and bio-fertiliser. Habona has a huge impact on Rwandan families as, through waste collection, they do not only address the waste problem by collecting garbage, but they also produce sustainable energy and environmentally-friendly fuels to local farmers, who can use this to improve their crop yield. Habona currently has over 1,000 people contracted, with a potential market of more than 300,000 in the districts of the company alone.

Finance needed: $50,000

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About BiD Network: www.bidnetwork.org

About Get in the Ring: www.eur.nl/ondernemerschap/get_in_the_ring/