The Nigerian city of Lagos will in July be the first African host of StartupWeek, an event hosted in 75 cities around the world so far that looks to celebrate Africa’s startup ecosystem and build opportunities around entrepreneurship.
The event is a five-day celebration of entrepreneurs and small business owners in Lagos, comprised of of various sessions including keynotes, panels and meetups. Startups are encouraged to attend to learn from local and visiting entrepreneurs sharing their experiences.
Organisers are expecting a crowd of over 1,000 entrepreneurs and small business owners, with visitors expected from all over Africa as well as from countries such as the United Kingdom (UK), United States (UK), Spain and Switzerland.
“The world’s focus is on Africa at the moment with Nigeria being a pivotal point for investment activities on the continent. Africa is certainly rising and Nigeria appears to be leading this rebirth. If you are interested in checking out or getting plugged into the Lagos startup scene, there isn’t a better time to come to Lagos than during Lagos StartupWeek,” said Olumide Olayinka, a member of the organising committee.
The event looks to connect Nigeria’s growing entrepreneurial community with markets and socially driven entrepreneurs and game changers in the world. Lagos StartupWeek aims to give Nigeria the critical mass needed to support the growing community of entrepreneurs and attract investors and mentors from outside the region and across the globe.
“Startup week is a catalyst for new opportunities. When you bring dedicated entrepreneurs with good ideas together with mentors and investors, great things are going to happen,” said StartupWeek founder Andrew Hyde.
