Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative returns for the second year!
Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative, a Jack Ma Foundation’s flagship philanthropic entrepreneur program in Africa has returned for the second year and will offer selected innovative African tech startups a chance to access up to a US$1.5 million prize pool.
The aim of their competition to identify, spotlight and support Africa’s Business Heroes. They are on the search for African entrepreneurs, of all ages and all sectors, who are leveraging business to create positive impact and solve pressing challenges in Africa!
the prize will select 10 finalists to pitch for a share of an overall prize pool of US$1.5 million, up from $1 million last year.
“We find ourselves in unprecedented and extraordinary times. Now, more than ever, we need entrepreneurs with courage, initiative, and vision to do what they do best – solve problems for society. With this prize competition, we are looking to inspire and reward African business heroes in all sectors and encourage any aspiring applicants to seize this opportunity to break through barriers and create hope for the future,” said Jason Pau, senior advisor for international programmes at the Jack Ma Foundation.
This year, the foundation will work with a select group of Anchor Partners, including Ashesi, Dalberg, Janngo and RiseUp to identify and support African entrepreneurs.
- 1st Prize Winner: $300,000
- 2nd Prize Winner: $250,000
- 3rd Prize Winner: $150,000
- Other Top 10 Finalists (7): $100,000
- Global Immersion Program (Hangzhou, San Francisco, South East Asia): $100,000
Benefits
- Exposure: Through the “Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH)” show, ANPI provides their Heroes the chance to tell Africa and the world their story. The show is distributed via major television networks, which provides their finalists with significant publicity and exposure.
- Training: ANPI offers their Heroes training at Alibaba’s headquarters via the prestigious eFounders fellowship training program. In addition, ANPI is working with partners to develop bespoke training and accelerator services for Top 10.
- Mentorship: ANPI offers their Heroes the opportunity to be mentored by renowned business leaders including Finale and Semi-Finale judges.
- Networking: ANPI provides their heroes the opportunity to network at the ANPI summit, ANPI Business Heroes’ gatherings and deep-dives (e.g. China Trip), and through Africa’s Business Heroes exclusive platform (to be released in 2021).
Applications are open here until June 9, with semi-finalists announced in August and the top 10 finalists for 2020 unveiled in September.
Entrepreneurs from all 54 African countries are welcome to apply, with applications available in both French and English.
