Agenda
December 11th
Welcome Remarks from Brian Heater (TechCrunch)
Startup Battlefield: Session 1
TechCrunch’s iconic startup competition is back in Africa! Watch as entrepreneurs from around the region pitch expert judges and vie for the Battlefield Cup. The first preliminary round of five contestants.
Expats, Repats and Africans with Kwame Acheampong (Mall for Africa), Eleni Gabre-Madhin (blueMoon) and Lexi Novitske (Singularity Investments)
Africa’s tech sector is reshaping the movement of people, investment, and talent between the continent and the world. But what are the pros and cons of repatriates returning to launch companies, expats choosing Africa’s tech scene over others, and VCs deploying greater capital to region?
Keynote by Konstantinos Papamiltiadis (Facebook)
Facebook’s Director of Platform Partnerships discusses the Facebook developer ecosystem. Sponsored by Facebook.
Break
Startup Battlefield: Session 2
The second preliminary round of five contestants.
Break
SPONSORED SESSION: Transforming the Agriculture Value Chain with AI, Blockchain, IoT and Weather Data by IBM – located in the Workshop Room
Transforming the agriculture value chain is a top priority for African governments and the private sector. Unfortunately, a plethora of challenges plague the agriculture value chain ranging from cultivation to retail. In addition, the value chain is highly fragmented with limited visibility and ineffective coordination across the various parties, participants and value added partners. IBM Research – Africa and Hello Tractor will present their solution to address this challenge.
Startup Battlefield: Session 3
The third preliminary round of five contestants.
Fireside Chat with Funke Opeke (Main One)
Dubbed as the person responsible for powering broadband across all of West Africa, Funke Opeke has become one of the most well-known people in the African tech community. MainOne, a telecoms company Opeke leads as CEO, is responsible for driving internet use across West Africa by investing in digital infrastructures. In this fireside chat, we will what’s next and how to equip entrepreneurs with the necessary resources to build scalable businesses.
Investing in African Startups with Kola Aina (Ventures Platform), Marieme Diop (Orange Digital Ventures) and Omobola Johnson (TLcom Capital)
Discussing the unique landscape of the African startup ecosystem and what can be learned from Silicon Valley’s approach to venture capital.
SPONSORED SESSION: A Perspective on Innovation In Africa – by Microsoft – Located in the Workshop Room
Enabling the technology startup ecosystem in Africa is a priority of Microsoft’s. We are working to building the necessary infrastructure, partnerships and programs to support tech innovators from all across Africa. We believe in empowering everyone on the planet to do more – Microsoft will do an overview of how your startup can leverage the investments we have in place for startups.
Break
Startup Battlefield Final
The final round. One of these five finalists will be the winner of Startup Battlefield.
Building at Scale: Taking an Idea and Delivering Cross Border Success with Emeka Afigbo (Facebook), Kofi Dadzie (Rancard) and Jason Njoku (iROKO)
Sponsored by Facebook
Blockchain's Potential in Africa with Olugbenga Agboola (Flutterwave), Omolara Awoyemi (SureGroup) and Nichole Yembra (Greenhouse Capital)
As crypto fever gripped many leading economies in 2018, Africa was shaping its own blockchain narrative—one more grounded in utility than speculation. Over the last year, the continent saw several ICOs and token launches. And use cases for blockchain in Africa are emerging to solve problems and unlock potential in agriculture, solar-energy, health-care, government, and beyond.
Startup Battlefield Closing Awards Ceremony
Watch the announcement of the Startup Battlefield winner.
Startup Battlefield Africa After Party sponsored by Mall for Africa
All attendees are invited to join TechCrunch for the official Startup Battlefield Africa After Party, in the Exhibition Area
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