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Five winning African startups from the 2023 edition of Next Generation Africa will be in Italy from June 8-16, 2024, for a roadshow organized by the nonprofit BeEntrepreneurs with the collaboration of the Italian Embassy in Kampala, capital of Uganda.
Next Generation Africa is the nonprofit program of BeEntrepreneurs. Launched in 2017, in recent years it has become a benchmark in promoting the meeting of Italian and East African innovation ecosystems, with a history that now counts five editions of the program following as many calls for innovators, a database of more than 1,500 startups, more than 100 entrepreneurial teams supported and a network of more than 200 stakeholders. The winning startups of the latest edition, selected from more than 330 applications, range from the world of health to education via environmental sustainability. They participated in a bootcamp in Kigali, Rwanda, last August, where they attended training and mentoring sessions with Association volunteers and some representatives of the local innovation ecosystem.
The roadshow will offer them the opportunity to meet Italian startups, meet investors, companies and nonprofits, participate in training sessions and expand their network. After an initial stop in Milan, the startups will participate in the We Make Future festival in Bologna. More than fifty institutions, investors and companies will be involved in the roadshow, to which startups will be able to present their products and services.
An appointment not to be missed is Startup Africa Day, which will take place on June 11 in Milan at the Cariplo Factory Innovation Hub. Event open to the public where award-winning startups and voices from the Italian and European innovation ecosystem will take turns on stage. “I am very proud of this edition of Next Generation Africa. The startups we awarded are innovative, modern, and competitive. It is a great privilege for us to help them grow and develop. Our association and this project are living proof that cooperation between Europe and Africa through innovation and entrepreneurship is possible,” comments Andrea Censoni, co-founder and president of BeEntrepreneurs. As with the economic fabric in Italy, the African economy relies heavily on the activities of small and medium-sized enterprises. Initiatives like Startup Africa Roadtrip act as powerful catalysts to support young African talent, empowering businesses on both continents, including Europe.”
“The Italian Embassy in Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi supports the Startup Africa Roadshow 2024 as a continuation of the Kigali roadtrip in summer 2023, where emerging startups were initially identified and supported. We are confident that the initiative will foster further mutual collaboration between the countries by contributing to the development of innovative cooperation,” says Mario Savona, deputy chief of mission for the Italian Embassy in Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.
Winning startups
Ecoplastile (Uganda): environmental sustainability and recycling. This startup collects plastic waste, remunerating the local community through an app, and turns it into eco-friendly, lightweight, high-performance roofing tiles. The idea came from a personal experience of the CEO and founder Franc Kamugyisha in the Bwaise slum in Kampala. Also present was Peron Nateisa, impact & communications lead.
Luna (Rwanda): women’s empowerment and health. This is a femtech startup that offers a protected space to discuss sensitive issues and the ability to seek online counseling (doctors, psychologists, etc.). Participants include Aline Joyce Berabose (CEO and co-founder) and Chibudu Nyiro (chief operations officer and co-founder) .
Shambapro (Rwanda): innovation serving those who work the land. This is an agritech startup that has developed an app to support small farmers by digitizing some administrative processes, producing data and reports useful for managing their activities. Kelvin Odoobo is CEO and founder.
SLS Energy (Rwanda): a second life for used batteries. This startup has developed a system for recovering still-functioning cells from end-of-life battery packs to create backup and “energy storage” devices for telecommunications towers. Participants include Léandre Berwa (CEO), Mercy Hirwa (business development manager), and Patrick Ntwari (co-founder and director of hardware engineering).
Ubuntu Education (Rwanda): training, professional development and innovation. It is an edtech startup, which provides teachers with training content, access to growth opportunities, and collaborates with schools and local communities to foster development. David Marriott (CEO and founder) and Jess King (chief operations officer and co-founder) will participate.
The week’s program
June 10: Guests of Primo Ventures, startups meet some impact funds, VCs and business angels. June 11: Startups present their projects to Italian and corporate companies in the impressive setting of Cisco Innovation Center at the Museum of Science and Technology. At 6:30 p.m. they take the stage at Cariplo Factory for an evening open to the public. June 12: Thanks to Joule, ENI’s business school, and Polihub, startups have a chance to visit laboratories at the Politecnico di Milano and meet some Italian startups. June 13/17: Startups have an exhibition space at the We Make Future Festival in Bologna and participate in events, panels and the Startup Competition.
The roadshow in Italy is realized with the support of: Italian Embassy in Kampala, Primo Ventures, Cisco, F2A, Fondazione Cariplo, Joule the Eni School for Enterprise, Cariplo Factory, Polihub, Politecnico di Milano, Search On and WMF; to media and community partners Startupbusiness, Italian Tech and VadoinAfrica; and technical partners Digitonic and Merakyn.
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