This archive report was first published on 17 December 2019.
On December 13th, 2019, six African startups were set to represent the continent in the Global Startup Awards, competing in various categories against global players at the Grand Finale in China.
The selected startups included Easy Equities from South Africa, CoWork Lab from Mozambique, and SBC Afritech Incubator from South Africa, among others.
Charles Savage, Founder of Easy Equities, expressed his excitement about representing Africa, stating, “It’s a great privilege to be representing the continent and one we are really excited about. Competing with global players gives us the incredible opportunity to learn, collaborate and have some fun whilst doing what we love – sharing our story and journey with the world.”
He attributed the continent’s innovative spirit to the challenges it faces, saying, “I am a firm believer that for every problem there’s an entrepreneurial opportunity waiting to be unlocked. Africa has lots of challenges to overcome and perhaps this drives us to be such effective innovators and entrepreneurs.”
Looking ahead, Savage predicted that the next 20 years will be defined by Africa’s growth story, with the continent poised to leapfrog technologies and infrastructure that held it back in the past.
Other African entrepreneurs, including Pedro Ferreira of CoWork Lab and Philip Kiracofe of SBC AfriTech, shared their perspectives on the continent’s growth potential and the need for more incubators and accelerators to empower startups.
The winners of the Global Startup Awards were announced, with Turbine.AI (Hungary) taking the Startup Of the Year award, among others.
