Orange Social Venture Prize

Orange Launches 13th Edition of the Orange Social Venture Prize

March 13, 2023

The 13^th edition of the Orange Social Venture Prize in Africa and the Middle East (POESAM), is a reaffirmation of Orange’s commitment to entrepreneurs making a positive impact in Africa and the Middle East.

That is why the organizers have called for submissions on Monday, March 13, 2023. Candidates from the 17 countries within the Orange footprint have until May 21, 2023, to submit their project on the website https://POESAM.orange.com.

Since 2011, the POESAM prize has been awarded to innovative projects by start-ups, based on information and communication technologies that have a positive social impact in Africa and the Middle East in the fields of education, healthcare, e-commerce, and agriculture, or that contribute to achieving sustainable development goals.

Through this prize, Orange, as a committed operator, aims to contribute to socio-economic development, support social and environmental innovation, and encourage entrepreneurship in Africa and the Middle East.

The competition has two stages:

• A national stage to collect applications, between March and May 2023 in Orange’s 17 subsidiaries in Africa and the Middle East. At the end of this application phase, a jury made up of representatives of the Orange’s start-up ecosystem will meet in each subsidiary to select 3 national winners (per subsidiary) who will automatically qualify for the second phase of the competition, the international stage;

• An international stage, where each subsidiary will be represented by the projects of its 3 winners, which will be evaluated by an evaluation committee made up of Group employees. After their evaluation, they will select 10 finalists. A final jury of African tech influencers will select the 3 winners of the POESAM International Grand Prize in October/November 2023. They will receive:

€25,000 for 1st place;

€15,000 for 2nd place;

€10,000 for 3rd place.

As equal opportunities are a key aspect of Orange policy, the International Women’s Prize will be awarded for the fourth consecutive year. This prize will be awarded to a woman who offers a technological solution to improve the living conditions of women (women’s independence, job creation or preservation, gender data collection, digital and financial inclusion, etc.). The winner will receive €20,000.

Since the launch of POESAM in 2011, Orange is proud to have awarded around €600,000 in prize money to over 30 winners and provided funds for more than 90 entrepreneurs to receive support from Orange experts or its partners. Through POESAM, Orange reaffirms its commitment to entrepreneurs making a positive impact in Africa and the Middle East.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

2021 Edition Of Orange Social Venture Prize Opens Today

March 9, 2021

Orange Social Venture Prize in Africa and the Middle East (OSVP) returns for the eleventh time. Submission of applications will begin today March 9, 2021 and will close on Friday June 4, 2021. The national phases will be held from June to the end of August and the international competition will take place from mid-September to mid-October according to the organization’s schedule.

To apply, the competition requires certain criteria to be fulfilled, namely:

Be students, employees or entrepreneurs of over 21 years of age.

Also, present projects must have been launched at least three years before the 2021 launch date.

The project is available to applicants from the following countries: Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Guinea -Bissau, Guinee Conakry, Jordaine, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Tunisia.

Having become a benchmark, the Orange Social Venture Prize in Africa and the Middle East (OSVP) rewards each year the best technology projects organized in two stages: first a national competition in 17 countries, and then an international jury designates the winners of the Grand Prix.

For the last edition, in 2020, the Prize succeeded in mobilizing 1300 applications.

During the national phases, 41 startups brilliantly distinguished themselves.

Subsequently, Tunisian psychological counseling service Ahkili, the first on-demand motorcycle-taxi service for the city of Bamako Telimam, and the inexpensive and innovative Liberian e-learning platform Weeglo landed on the podium.

To apply, click here.

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

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Kelechi Deca

Charles Rapulu Udoh