Energy startup Lifiled has been named winner of the Ivorian leg of the global Seedstars World competition, booking a place at the global final and the chance to pitch for US$500,000 in equity investment.
Seed-stage startup competition for emerging markets Seedstars World is selecting national winners from all over the world, including around 30 African countries, and will bring them together at the Seedstars Summit in Switzerland next year to compete for funding and a host of other prizes.
It has already chosen winners in Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Egypt, Morocco, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Angola, The Gambia, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Cape Verde, Tunisia, Malawi, Cameroon, Mauritius, Uganda, Libya and Zimbabwe, and held its event in Abidjan over the weekend.
Nine seed-stage startups pitched in front of a local jury panel for a place in the final, with Lifiled named overall winner for its solution that gives users access to lighting, internet and educational content using an LED light bulb and light fidelity technology.
The startup will now take part in the global final in Switzerland, where it will have the chance of winning the equity funding, but will also represent Ivory Coast at the Seedstars Africa regional summit in Johannesburg in December and gain access to a three-month investment readiness programme.
SMS-based money transfer service Panelys Cash came second, while mobility startup Kamtar was third.
