Ten Demo Africa alumni startups that have seen significant uptake will pitch at the DEMO Africa Traction event in Naivasha, Kenya, next month.
The DEMO Africa Traction series is colocated with the CIO100 Symposium, and will take place in Naivasha on November 10-11.
It will see 10 pre-selected startups pitch their products to more than 300 CIOs attending the event, which includes the regional CIO100 Awards celebrating companies from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania for their innovative use of IT.
“The Traction event will feature DEMO alumni companies that have gained some traction and the idea is to connect them with potential enterprise customers,” said DEMO Africa executive producer Harry Hare.
“Most of the companies that will take part in this event have enterprise solutions, so the startups will be pitching to the CIOs and other senior IT executives from East Africa.”
The DEMO Africa Traction Series is being sponsored by Microsoft, which has been a sponsor of the main DEMO Africa event since 2012.
“Through the DEMO Africa Traction series, we are now extending this support to help high potential startups connect with key industry players, and really develop and scale their solutions,” said Djiba Diallo Diao, startup engagement lead at Microsoft 4Afrika.
“Through Microsoft’s 4Afrika initiative, we’re about bringing Africa’s innovation to the world, and this sponsorship will enable us to reach more innovators and game-changers in the growing African IT ecosystem.”
DEMO Africa, which began life in Nairobi before taking place in Lagos, Nigeria for two years, was held in Johannesburg for the first time in August.
Thirty startups were chosen to pitch at the event after 723 applicants were narrowed down to a shortlist of 131. Five startups were named winners of the event, earning the opportunity to join the DEMO Africa LIONS programme in Silicon Valley.
The selected five include three from South Africa, namely video health consultation platform ConnectMed, on-demand TV and internet device MediaBox, and email organiser Sortd.
Nigerian company Solstice HES, which makes a household’s usage of energy more efficient, and Kenyan solar firm Strauss Energy completed the list.
