Ocean Innovation Africa Pitch Competition 2023 (Win R15,000)

Deadline: January 29, 2023

Are you an African ocean-impact startup? Are you looking for strategic partners or investors? This is for you!

For the 4th consecutive year, Ocean Innovation Africa will give the most innovative African ocean-impact startups the exposure they deserve. The annual summit is the principal gathering of investors, industry players, and public authorities working towards ocean sustainability in Africa and has become a benchmark for ocean innovation on the continent.

This is your moment to connect with ocean-focused Angel Investors, VCs, industry experts, corporates, and grant providers by becoming a finalist in the OIA pitch competition.

Benefit

Finalist will get:

Pitch on Stage – present your innovation to a top-level audience including investors, authorities, and leading corporations
Delegate Pass to the summit – attend the Ocean Innovation Africa summit to learn, share, and connect
Networking – interact and meet with key players in the African Blue Economy Ecosystem
Mentoring – benefit from a 1:1 mentoring session to improve and adapt your pitch for the competition.
Media coverage – inclusion in Ocean Innovation Africa’s media kit as one of the must-watch ocean innovators in Africa.
Travel Subsidy – receive up to R7500 towards your travel costs if coming from outside of Cape Town.
Accommodation – finalists from outside of Cape Town will receive 4 nights of free accommodation with breakfast included.

Winners will get:

Cash prizes sponsored by the French Embassy in South Africa
First Prize R15,000.00
Second Prize R11,250.00
Third Prize R7,500.00
Selection to take part in Monaco Ocean Week – receive a fully funded trip from the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation to take part in the Ocean Innovators Platform at Monaco Ocean Week, from the 21st to the 23rd of March 2023

Eligibility

Open to an entrepreneur operating in Africa, with the potential to disrupt how the ocean’s three main challenges – overexploitation, pollution, and climate change – are being tackled on the continent.
Your start-up is ocean-minded: it has a direct or indirect positive impact on the oceans (addressing climate change, pollution, or over-exploitation of the ocean)
You have a revenue-generating business model and operate in Africa
You have a scalable service or product available on the market or soon to be available on the market
Your company has been incorporated for less than 3 years
Your product or service is clearly innovative and/or your business model is disruptive
Capacity to be in Cape Town (South Africa) in person on 21st-24th February 2023 (up to R7500 reimbursement for costs of visa, return flight tickets, food, and on-site transport expenses; accommodation and delegate pass to the summit provided).

Selection Criteria

Impact & Vision: social, environmental, and economic impacts
Business Model: Market and traction, commercial value, strategy for growth, and scalability
Team: Expertise and background, ambition and passion
Technology: Innovation, reliability, adaptability, scalability.

Application

The following documents are needed to submit your application:

Pitch Deck (max 12 slides)
CV/Resume
Certificate of Incorporation (if already incorporated)
A 2-minute video to introduce yourself (name, background) and your business (problem tackled, service/products, your expected economic, social, and environmental impact, size of the team, how you relate to the programme)
Copy of valid passport