MED’INNOVANT AFRICA - Afrikan Heroes

Over 180 Applications Received In The On-going MED’INNOVANT AFRICA 2020 Competition

September 18, 2020

With a call for projects launched on July 1 and closed on August 31, the second edition of the MED’INNOVANT AFRICA 2020 competition particularly aroused the interest of African entrepreneurs and innovators. Nearly 180 applications were received in the space of two month.

Here Is What You Need To Know

Aimed at African startups and project leaders, MED’INNOVANT AFRICA aims to support the development of innovative solutions to make the Mediterranean and African cities of tomorrow more sustainable and resilient. Technological innovations are developing exponentially there, thus stimulating the deployment of new uses and the creation of start-ups.
Aware of this great opportunity, the Public Establishment of Euroméditerranée Development took an interest in African tech from 2018 by opening its MED’INNOVANT competition to African entrepreneurs before launching, in 2019, an edition intended more particularly for start-ups. African-ups that offer innovative solutions in the field of “smart cities”.
For 2020, MED’INNOVANT AFRICA has placed resilience at the heart of its approach, in response in particular to the challenges of development and land use planning capable of overcoming shocks and bouncing back by offering innovative solutions (pandemic, COVID 19, etc. ).
Through this challenge, the Public Establishment of Euroméditerranée Planning continues its policy of openness towards the African continent with the objective of sourcing project leaders as creative as the two 2019 winners: SEN ‘Or’Dur and Promagric.

MED’INNOVANT AFRICA 2020 In Numbers

A competition that affects the entire African continent with a margin of improvement of + 42% compared to 2018 and 2019.
• Almost 180 applications filed on the www.medinnovantafrica.fr platform, including nearly 76% of start-ups.
• A varied geographical representation (27 countries represented)
• A variety of topics covered (energy, digital, social and solidarity economy, etc.).
• A large number of female candidates (25% entrepreneurs).
On December 7 and 8, awards ceremony in Marseille
during the international Emerging Valley event

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What Next?

Four to five finalists will be invited to defend their case in front of a jury made up by the associated partners of MED’INNOVANT AFRICA during EMERGING VALLEY on December 7 and 8.

This now unmissable event will bring together African Tech leaders for two days at the Palais du Pharo in Marseille.
The jury will be made up of:
• The Euroméditerranée Public Development Establishment
• Emerging Valley
• The French development agency (AFD)
• AFRICAlink
• ACCELERATOR.M
• FIDAL
• The Aix Marseille-Provence Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIMP).
Two awards will be made — the “Jury Prize” and the “Coup de cœur” award, together with high added value packages for long-term support (financial boost, support offered by associated partners, push visibility).

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award-winning writer

African Startups Can Apply To The 2020 Edition Of Med’ Innovant Africa

August 2, 2020

Created in 2019 by the Public Establishment of Euroméditerranée Development located in Marseille, the MED’INNOVANT AFRICA competition has launched its 2020 edition reserved for African startups.

Its objective: to stimulate the search for innovative solutions to imagine the resilient African and Mediterranean sustainable city of tomorrow, while supporting the projects of African start-ups that are committed in this direction.

After a successful first 2019 edition, with the participation of 180 startups and the distinction of 3 African nuggets with inspiring projects, Euroméditerranée wanted to invest this year in the field of resilience in African and Mediterranean territories.

In the face of Covid-19, Africa has confirmed its capacity for innovation by developing numerous solutions, such as the Algerian startup Citylocker, the 2019 finalist of the competition, in particular.

Once again this year, MED’INNOVANT AFRICA is reserved for high-growth African startups, small and medium-sized enterprises providing a solution with a strong positive impact for the development of sustainable and resilient territories.

Candidates for this second edition can apply online on the website dedicated to the competition, from July 1 to August 31, 2020.

After analysis of the files and selection by a jury of experts, two laureates – “Jury Prize” and “Coup de cœur” Prize – will access the Euroméditerranée experimentation area, to test and deploy their solution in Marseille, in the heart of of the second largest metropolis in France!

They will benefit from personalized support and will win a financial allocation of up to 7,000 euros.

The winners will also be asked to pitch their project on stage at the Emerging Valley international summit (December 7 and 8, in Marseille), a unique opportunity for visibility and networking.

They will also benefit from support from the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem, with a view to ultimately finding European, but also African, investors and industrial partners.

By putting resilience at the heart of this second edition, the objective of MED’INNOVANT AFRICA is to respond to three major challenges, common to the Euroméditerranée perimeter and to African territories: developing the resilience to shocks of cities, by strengthening resilience and the sustainability of territories; improve responsiveness through new digital tools; promote crisis communication at the local level.

For more about the MED’INNOVANT AFRICA 2020 competition visit here: https://euromediterranee.fr/medinnovantafrica