There’s no lack of creative innovators, makers and technical entrepreneurs throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, and that’s why we’re bringing Startup Battlefield Africa 2018 — our world-renowned startup pitch competition — to Lagos, Nigeria on December 11.
We want to give every innovative early-stage startup in the region the chance to compete, which is why we’re extending the application deadline another week. We encourage tech startup founders (yes, we’re looking at YOU) to apply and join us for what may very well be a life-changing journey. You now have until September 10 at 5 p.m. PT to fill out and submit your application right here.
We’re not kidding around when we say Startup Battlefield can change your life. Since 2007, more than 750 companies have competed in our startup pitch competition. Our alumni community includes the likes of Dropbox, Mint, TripIt, Vurb and many others. Collectively, they’ve raised more than $8 billion in funding and produced 102 exits. And we can’t wait to add up to 15 amazing founders from across Sub-Saharan Africa to our ranks.
The benefits of competing go beyond the prizes bestowed upon the winning founders. Every participating team receives invaluable exposure — not to mention invaluable connections — that lasts far beyond the initial day of competition. Plus, competing in Startup Battlefield is 100 percent free. That exposure comes with some mighty fine ROI attached to it.
Our experienced TechCrunch editors will scrutinize every eligible application and choose up to 10 startups to compete, and those founders will receive free pitch coaching from Battlefield-tested editors. When the day comes, and you step on stage to make your pitch, you’ll be ready to handle whatever the judges throw at you.
In three preliminary rounds (up to five startups per round), teams have six minutes to pitch and present their demo to a panel of judges composed of distinguished entrepreneurs, technologists and investors (recruited by our editors). After each pitch, the judges pose tough questions in a six-minute Q&A. Five startups will move on to pitch again — to a different set of judges with another round of questions.
One company will earn the title of the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Africa 2018 champion and the best startup in Sub-Saharan Africa. Now, about those prizes we mentioned earlier. The winning founders receive $25,000 in no-equity cash and a trip for two to compete in Startup Battlefield in San Francisco at our flagship event, TechCrunch Disrupt 2019 (assuming the company still qualifies to compete at the time).
Here’s what you need to know about eligibility. Startups should:
- Be early-stage companies in “launch” stage
- Be headquartered in one of our eligible countries*
- Have a fully working product/beta that’s reasonably close to, or in, production
- Have received limited press or publicity to date
- Have no known intellectual property conflicts
- Apply by September 10, 2018, at 5 p.m. PST
Startup Battlefield Africa 2018 takes place in Lagos, Nigeria on December 11. We’ve extended the application deadline as far as we can go. You have until September 10 at 5 p.m. PT — but don’t delay. Submit your application right here.
*Residents in the following countries may apply:
Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Central Africa Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the foregoing language, the “Applicable Countries” does not include any country to or on which the United States has embargoed goods or imposed targeted sanctions.