Global early-stage startups competition Seedstars World has announced the 11 startups that will pitch at its pre-selection event in Soweto, South Africa, with top three startups to head to the national final in Johannesburg.
Seedstars World is visiting a host of African countries for the 2016 edition of its world tour, with the winners of each regional event joining other finalists from across the world at the global final in Switzerland next year to compete for up to US$1 million in investment.
In South Africa, Seedstars is holding pre-selection events in Cape Town, Durban and Soweto ahead of a national final to be held in Johannesburg. The three Cape Town winners have already been selected, while the Durban leg takes place tonight.
The Soweto pre-selection event takes place on June 14, with 11 startups from Soweto and Johannesburg selected to pitch to a judging panel for a place in the South Africa final. The event will take place at eKasi Labs.
The startups include on-demand drone platform DroneSnap, crowdfunded insurance startup Riovic, alcohol delivery app BOTTLES, public transport service Zula Afrika, communication-centric organiser Sortd, and B2B marketplace Masokko.
Agri-tech startup Black Industrialists, foldaway helicopter developer Pinard Aéronautique, fintech startup GEM Payment Services, free calls service UmoyAir Communications, and savings platform GoldPay complete the list.
“Durban and Soweto are our newest additions in our Seedstars tour in South Africa. I’m looking forward to witnessing the incredible talent that we will find in these new locations and showcasing it at our South Africa final and hopefully on the global stage,” said Marcello Schermer, regional manager for Seedstars World Africa.
